The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was oficially founded in December, 1922 – as the Russian Civil War came to an end – and the Soviet State consolidated its power experimented with a number of designs . Prior to, and after this date, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) experimented with a number of designs for a Soviet State Flag. In 1924 the idea of a definitive flag was formulated – with the finished design revealed in 1936 and co-opted into service in 1937. The flag itself embodies the advanced spirit of Socialism and Communism, and was often carried into battle at the head of Red Army formations during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). Today, it is still flown by the modern Russian Military as a ‘battle banner’ signifying victory during WWII. It is an honour to carry the Red Flag which must be protected at all times, and kept out of the hands of fascists. In 1980, the USSR developed a variant of the 1937 flag – with one side being fully red (with no star or hammer and sickle), whilst the other side was red and retained the star and hammer and sickle. This version existed beside any and all variants and was not a replacement.
