Political parties are found around the world. Political symbols, representations of different parties and values, have been around for a long time. Some symbols were developed from ancient symbols and their meanings have not changed over time. Other symbols are newer. Political symbols represent what a group stands for. Usually, a person needs to just see one of the following symbols to understand what it represents.
Donkey
Symbol of the Democratic Party in the United States, stubbornness, joy, and humility.
In 1828, Andrew Jackson was running for president of the United States for the Democratic party. He was called a jackass by his opponents. He embraced the term and put a picture of a donkey on his campaign posters. He won the election and the donkey started as a symbol for the Democratic party. In the 1800s a political cartoonist named Nast used the donkey as a symbol for the Democratic party, thus solidifying its use as a symbol for the party from that time forward. Throughout history, donkeys have been symbols of wealth, peace, and joy. In ancient times the donkey was used as currency. In the Bible, a donkey bore Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus, and Jesus rode on a donkey to symbolize his humility.
Elephant
Symbol of the Republican Party in the United States, strength, luck, royalty, stability.
The elephant became a symbol of the Republican Party in the United States in the early 19th century. During the Civil War, the Republican Party used the phrase “seeing the elephant” which means gaining experience at a cost. In the late 1800s, a cartoonist named Nast drew an elephant as a symbol for the Republican party in one of his political cartoons. The image stuck and the elephant was then used to represent the Republican Party. Elephants in India represented royalty. Kings and queens rode on the backs of elephants. In Laos and Cambodia, a white elephant foretells good luck through rainfall and good harvests. Elephants also symbolize stability. Ganesha is the Hindu god of knowledge. He is depicted as an elephant. Elephants were also thought to carry the world on their back in different cultures.
Raised Fist
Symbol of the Black Power Movement, Black Lives Matter, Communist Party of Germany, antifascism, solidarity, and support, and anti-racism.
One of the earliest uses of a fist as a symbol was in a political cartoon in 1917 by the Industrial Workers of the World. The raised fist represented solidarity. In 1924, the Communist Party of Germany used the raised fist to symbolize resistance to the Nazi party of Germany. The Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War used the salute to symbolize antifascism. In the 1960s the Black Power Movement used the raised fist symbol to fight oppression and racial discrimination. In the 1960s women used the raised fist symbol in conjunction with the Venus symbol to create a symbol for feminists. Irish Republicans opposed British rule and used the raised fist as one of their primary symbols. In 2013 the Black Lives Matter Movement was formed as a result of the acquittal of Trevon Martin’s murderer. The movement is represented by the raised fist. The raised fist is used to symbolize the support of the black community against violence. It has been used in protests around the United States as a reaction to police violence against black citizens.
Anarchy Symbol
Symbol of Anarchists, anarchy.
The anarchy symbol is used by Anarchists to represent their beliefs. It is composed of the letter A encircled by the letter O. The letter A stands for anarchy and the letter O stands for order. Together it forms the motto: Society seeks order in anarchy. Anarchy means self-rule and rejecting higher authorities. Anarchy was first used in 1539. It means the absence of government. Anarchists wish to replace governments with voluntary institutions. The Anarchy Circle A symbol was used by anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. It was also used in France and then traveled around the world. A more modern spray-painted A within a circle was used by punk bands in the United States during the 20th century.
Anti-Apartheid symbol
Symbol of unity, peace, love, victory, and the Anti-apartheid movement.
Apartheid was institutionalized racism in South Africa from 1948 through the 1990s. In 1959 the anti-apartheid movement arose to try and overt the apartheid system. One of the symbols for the anti-apartheid movement was the yin and yang symbol with capital A’s replacing the inner circles. The yin and yang symbol represents both duality and interconnectedness. The two side-by-side figures represent the duality of human nature. Having the dark A on the light side and the light A on the dark side shows the unity and connectedness of human nature. This symbol shows that people can live in unity and peace. Another symbol of anti-apartheid is three figures standing over and surrounded by laurel leaves. The three figures are black, grey, and white. They are holding hands. The laurel leaves are taken from Ancient Greece. They represent victory. The three figures represent mankind living together in peace. Put together, the symbol represents victory in peace.
Green party symbol
Symbol of fertility, growth, and unity.
The Green Party of the United States/Canada/England has a symbol which is green earth surrounded by a green flower. The symbol is called the earth flower. This symbol represents reducing the carbon footprint and making the earth green again. Using the globe as a symbol represents care for the entire planet, not just a country. The flower has been used as a symbol for growth and fertility. Combining the flower and the globe symbolizes a fertile planet.
Communist symbol
A Symbol of The Communist Party, solidarity, strength, agriculture, and the working class.
The Communist Party was first mentioned in literature in 1848 after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto. The goal of the Communist Party is to establish a common order of things without classes and the state. One of the symbols of the party is a hammer and sickle. This symbol represents proletarian solidarity. The hammer is a symbol of the working class and the sickle is a symbol of the peasantry. Put together they represent a combined force working against upper-class repression. This symbol was first used by Vladimir Lenin in 1923. Hammers have been used as symbols for Thor in Norse mythology. Thor’s hammer represents strength and protection. The sickle symbol was used in Ancient Greece to represent the agricultural class.
Socialism symbol
A Symbol of socialism, community, The Socialist Party,
Since the 1880s, the red rose has been a symbol of the Socialist Party. After the French Revolution in 1848, red became the color of the Socialist Party. People would wear bits of red cloth to let others know that they were socialists. Later, when socialists were being arrested they decided not to wear the red cloth and opted for red roses. The red rose stuck as the symbol for the Socialist Party. This rose symbolizes communal work and order.
Crown
A Symbol of monarchism, power, loyalty, honor, and glory.
The crown has long symbolized royalty. In a monarchy, the king or queen wears a crown to show leadership, power, honor, and glory. Crowns have been symbols since before the Roman Empire. They are a powerful symbol used by monarchies to show their subjects who their divine ruler is. There have been many different types of crowns throughout history, but the symbolism has remained the same. Today in Great Britain the monarchy is still the head of state but does not have as much of a hand in governing. There are still monarchies in the modern world including Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Monaco, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Malta, and more. Some of these countries are constitutional monarchies.