I'm assuming we're allowed more logo-y entries for this one since flags are rather, well, public.
Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries
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- Start date
I meant in the way that a banner or flag would be hung at a meeting of this society or at their Head Quarters
Quite, it would be nice to see a load of different types (please no Illuminati though, be original and make people want to do research haha)
Order of the Cathar
Catharism was a Christian dualist movement that thrived in Southern Europe during the 12th and 14th centuries. They believed there was a good God of immaterial things (such as light and souls) and a bad God of material things including the world and everything in it. They believed that the Catholics were following the bad God (Satan). Because of their beliefs they were persecuted and massacred in the Albigensian Crusade by the Catholic Church.
In this alternate history a secret society of Cathars is formed to preserve their beliefs and undermine the Catholic Church. Their goal is to do away with high ranking members in the church by any means necessary. Their aim is to replace them with secret practicing Cathars. They hope to infiltrate the church so that they can eventually dismantle it.
Their banner is blood red to represent the blood that must be shed to preserve the Cathar beliefs. In the center is a Cathar cross surrounded by a sun. The sun represents the divine and the order's desire to follow God's will.
Catharism was a Christian dualist movement that thrived in Southern Europe during the 12th and 14th centuries. They believed there was a good God of immaterial things (such as light and souls) and a bad God of material things including the world and everything in it. They believed that the Catholics were following the bad God (Satan). Because of their beliefs they were persecuted and massacred in the Albigensian Crusade by the Catholic Church.
In this alternate history a secret society of Cathars is formed to preserve their beliefs and undermine the Catholic Church. Their goal is to do away with high ranking members in the church by any means necessary. Their aim is to replace them with secret practicing Cathars. They hope to infiltrate the church so that they can eventually dismantle it.
Their banner is blood red to represent the blood that must be shed to preserve the Cathar beliefs. In the center is a Cathar cross surrounded by a sun. The sun represents the divine and the order's desire to follow God's will.
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Neo-Jacobin Club
After the failure of the French Revolution, the original Jacobin Club was hunted down and destroyed. Those few who survived formed the seed that would eventually become the Neo-Jacobin Club. As time moved on the neo-jacobins developed a plan to infiltrate high ranking military positions in almost every country. Then when the time was right they would rise up and simultaneous revolution to destroy worlds monarchies and in force their rule by any means necessary. While one of the main ideas of the neo-jacobins is that all humans are equal, the modern interpretation of this has become all "enlightened humans" are equal. Those the neo-jacobins see as unenlightened, (anyone that does not agree with them) is obviously would have a less evolved brain unable to comprehend the enlightenment ideals.
After the failure of the French Revolution, the original Jacobin Club was hunted down and destroyed. Those few who survived formed the seed that would eventually become the Neo-Jacobin Club. As time moved on the neo-jacobins developed a plan to infiltrate high ranking military positions in almost every country. Then when the time was right they would rise up and simultaneous revolution to destroy worlds monarchies and in force their rule by any means necessary. While one of the main ideas of the neo-jacobins is that all humans are equal, the modern interpretation of this has become all "enlightened humans" are equal. Those the neo-jacobins see as unenlightened, (anyone that does not agree with them) is obviously would have a less evolved brain unable to comprehend the enlightenment ideals.
State of The Almighty Druids
The STAD, while not internationally recognized as an actual state, is a secretive and mysterious organization thought to have several secret bases scattered all around parts of Western Europe and parts of Northern and Southern Europe, though much of this is speculation.
Almost nothing is known about who their leader is or even if they have a leader, STAD seems to be very decentralized with no single supporting figure, though, so maybe they have several. STAD's ideals are not that obvious, but they draw heavily from druidist teachings, abeit in a militarized manner, and seem to be targeting several religious figures and organizations across Europe.
No one knows what their intentions are for sure, but some suggest that they fashion themselves as the bringer of a new golden age and they have a strong disdain, almost a hatred, of other religious cults and states. They seem to be hellbent on wiping out Christianity and other organized religions from the continent, seeing them as corrupt and powermongering. Despite being so little known, their military is even larger than most European Nation's armies, which strongly suggests that they are doing everything they can to hide something from the rest of the world. An extremely dangerous super weapon? Knowledge of highly advanced technology? Maybe the key to life itself? No matter who you ask, no one knows for sure...
One of my first attempts at a fascist looking flag in a while, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! You can definitely get a mysterious and dangerous feel from it, it really does say "We're the bad guys" IMO.
Apart from the obvious nods to various fascist flags around, the main symbols used are the Awen and Spiral, which are 2 seperate symbols associated with druidism and Celtic religion/culture. There's also a large white ring surrounding them, which could also be interpreted as the circle used in the Celtic cross, which represents the pagan part of Celtic religion. The green colour is also associated with various parts of Druidism/Celtic culture as well, often representing nature.
The STAD, while not internationally recognized as an actual state, is a secretive and mysterious organization thought to have several secret bases scattered all around parts of Western Europe and parts of Northern and Southern Europe, though much of this is speculation.
Almost nothing is known about who their leader is or even if they have a leader, STAD seems to be very decentralized with no single supporting figure, though, so maybe they have several. STAD's ideals are not that obvious, but they draw heavily from druidist teachings, abeit in a militarized manner, and seem to be targeting several religious figures and organizations across Europe.
No one knows what their intentions are for sure, but some suggest that they fashion themselves as the bringer of a new golden age and they have a strong disdain, almost a hatred, of other religious cults and states. They seem to be hellbent on wiping out Christianity and other organized religions from the continent, seeing them as corrupt and powermongering. Despite being so little known, their military is even larger than most European Nation's armies, which strongly suggests that they are doing everything they can to hide something from the rest of the world. An extremely dangerous super weapon? Knowledge of highly advanced technology? Maybe the key to life itself? No matter who you ask, no one knows for sure...
One of my first attempts at a fascist looking flag in a while, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! You can definitely get a mysterious and dangerous feel from it, it really does say "We're the bad guys" IMO.
Apart from the obvious nods to various fascist flags around, the main symbols used are the Awen and Spiral, which are 2 seperate symbols associated with druidism and Celtic religion/culture. There's also a large white ring surrounding them, which could also be interpreted as the circle used in the Celtic cross, which represents the pagan part of Celtic religion. The green colour is also associated with various parts of Druidism/Celtic culture as well, often representing nature.
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Last minute!
The Royal Archive & Research Library
The Royal Archive and Research Library, formerly HM Archive of the Arcane, formerly The Lord Protector's Commission on the Arcane, is the QUANGO responsible for archiving and investigating allegedly paranormal events, where such events do not fall under the explicit purview of national defence.
Set up in 1654 by Oliver Cromwell "whereso the Souldiers of the New Modelled Armie shall defende our Bodies, these Commissionaires shall defende our verie Sowles", following the Restoration the Commissioners were absorbed into the King's "Archive of the Arcane" as a department separate from Parliamentary control. HMAA officially became The Royal Archive and Research Library during WWII as part of the Crown & Goverment's maximisation of the war effort along scientific means.
During the reign of Queen Elisabeth, TRARL has followed her apolitical approach and distanced itself from party political associations.
The official emblem of TRARL is an open book above the acronym in faux-engraved script.
The Royal Archive & Research Library
The Royal Archive and Research Library, formerly HM Archive of the Arcane, formerly The Lord Protector's Commission on the Arcane, is the QUANGO responsible for archiving and investigating allegedly paranormal events, where such events do not fall under the explicit purview of national defence.
Set up in 1654 by Oliver Cromwell "whereso the Souldiers of the New Modelled Armie shall defende our Bodies, these Commissionaires shall defende our verie Sowles", following the Restoration the Commissioners were absorbed into the King's "Archive of the Arcane" as a department separate from Parliamentary control. HMAA officially became The Royal Archive and Research Library during WWII as part of the Crown & Goverment's maximisation of the war effort along scientific means.
During the reign of Queen Elisabeth, TRARL has followed her apolitical approach and distanced itself from party political associations.
The official emblem of TRARL is an open book above the acronym in faux-engraved script.
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Paging @gruff.jones
Ready for the poll.
And I am a little unsure if my entry fully meets the criteria. Since we have enough entries I would be ok if it gets excluded on that basis.
Ready for the poll.
And I am a little unsure if my entry fully meets the criteria. Since we have enough entries I would be ok if it gets excluded on that basis.
Socialist Democratic Confederacy of The Amazonas
Confederazione Democratica Socialista della Amazonas
Confederació socialdemòcrata de les Amazones
The Amazonas (Often abbreviated as The SDCA) is well known for being one of the world's first socialist republics in the third world. Originally a joint Italian/Catalan colony during the quest for the new world, they overthrew their corrupt monarchy on 12th October 1917 (5 years before the USSR formed OTL) and abolished Catholicism as their state religion in favor of atheism, as the revolutionaries believed that religion only set people apart in their country. Shortly after the SDCA was formed, the capital of the country was moved to the Island of Marajo, which was where the socialist movement was thought to have their headquarters at the time. Despite being one of the only far-left countries in South America, they maintain quite good relations with their neighbors Columbia to the North-East, Peru to the South-West, and Brazil to the South-East.
Despite owning the largest amount of rain forest in South America and therefore being a largely rural country, there are some booming metropolises around the North-Western coast facing the Caribbean Ocean. This is a testament to the socialist government's efforts of modernizing the nation to keep up with their neighbors and indeed the rest of the world. This has been massively successful, as they are currently the most advanced nation in South America, they have even managed to humble some first world countries in terms of technology and social policies.
The fimbriated triband of The SDCA features the colors Purple, Gold and Green. Purple symbolizes how the evening sunset appeared the night the revolution took place, Gold symbolizes the riches shared with the people taken from the last remnants of the nobility and the royalists, the Green symbolizes the diverse Flora and Fauna of the Amazon and how the people will honor it and protect nature. The Pen and Beaker symbolize the arts and science respectively, which are the key parts of the ideals of socialist realism the SDCA are promoting to the world. The cog behind those represents the fast but controlled industrialization of the nation, keeping them ahead in the new age.
Finally, the national motto of The Amazonas appears in both Italian and Catalan, the two official languages of the country, beneath the coat of arms: "Creativity, Innovation, Liberty." These things are what the people of The SDCA believe will make their country stand out against the countless impoverished nations left behind after the death of European Colonialism.
Confederazione Democratica Socialista della Amazonas
Confederació socialdemòcrata de les Amazones
The Amazonas (Often abbreviated as The SDCA) is well known for being one of the world's first socialist republics in the third world. Originally a joint Italian/Catalan colony during the quest for the new world, they overthrew their corrupt monarchy on 12th October 1917 (5 years before the USSR formed OTL) and abolished Catholicism as their state religion in favor of atheism, as the revolutionaries believed that religion only set people apart in their country. Shortly after the SDCA was formed, the capital of the country was moved to the Island of Marajo, which was where the socialist movement was thought to have their headquarters at the time. Despite being one of the only far-left countries in South America, they maintain quite good relations with their neighbors Columbia to the North-East, Peru to the South-West, and Brazil to the South-East.
Despite owning the largest amount of rain forest in South America and therefore being a largely rural country, there are some booming metropolises around the North-Western coast facing the Caribbean Ocean. This is a testament to the socialist government's efforts of modernizing the nation to keep up with their neighbors and indeed the rest of the world. This has been massively successful, as they are currently the most advanced nation in South America, they have even managed to humble some first world countries in terms of technology and social policies.
The fimbriated triband of The SDCA features the colors Purple, Gold and Green. Purple symbolizes how the evening sunset appeared the night the revolution took place, Gold symbolizes the riches shared with the people taken from the last remnants of the nobility and the royalists, the Green symbolizes the diverse Flora and Fauna of the Amazon and how the people will honor it and protect nature. The Pen and Beaker symbolize the arts and science respectively, which are the key parts of the ideals of socialist realism the SDCA are promoting to the world. The cog behind those represents the fast but controlled industrialization of the nation, keeping them ahead in the new age.
Finally, the national motto of The Amazonas appears in both Italian and Catalan, the two official languages of the country, beneath the coat of arms: "Creativity, Innovation, Liberty." These things are what the people of The SDCA believe will make their country stand out against the countless impoverished nations left behind after the death of European Colonialism.
Krall
Banned
"La Bandiera Bianca"
Italian Republic / Repubblica Italiana
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up for treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."
- Epistle of James, 5:1-6
The seeds of the Kingdom of Italy's downfall were sown in the First World War. Initially hesitant to honour their alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, the latter began secret negotiations in an attempt to maintain the Triple Alliance. British military intelligence caught wind of this and, fearing that Italy might join the war against them, began funding anti-war Italian political groups, primarily pacifistic socialist radicals. This had little effect on Italy's decision to declare war, but after the smoke had cleared and hundreds of thousands of Italians lay dead at French and British hands Italy found itself a country weary of war, and British funding had given the socialists a foothold. Despite this it wasn't until the early 1930s that socialism truly took off in the country. Two factors are considered key for the historic surge in socialist popularity: the Great Depression, and Giacomoismo.
Whilst elsewhere socialism was a specifically atheistic ideology, in Italy it had become intertwined with the non-violent teachings of Jesus, and an anti-capitalist interpretation of Christianity. Known as Giacomoismo - named after James (Giacomo) the Just, brother of Christ, whose writings (including the quote found above) influenced the foundation of the ideology - this form of socialism emphasised non-violence, believing that war served only to harm the proletariat and enrich the bourgeoisie. The Giacomoists' powerbase was in the South, where class divisions were strong and the poor were subject to rampant economic and political exploitation. The impact of the Great Depression brought poverty to every corner of Italy, however, and with it dissatisfaction with traditional ideologies. By 1932 the Giacomoists had gained the loyalty of millions of Italians from the North and South, and used this power to launch a co-ordinated series of labour strikes and various other non-violent protests. The government's response was swift and bloody. Though non-violence was central to the Giacomoist philosophy, thousands of poor labourers being imprisoned, beaten, abused, and killed provoked many, reluctantly, to violent resistance.
Day by day the situation escalated. Protests turned into riots; riots into revolution. After months of bloody skirmishes and embarrassing losses, the King saw the writing on the wall and conceded defeat to the socialists, fleeing the country shortly thereafter. Though monarchists and anti-socialist militias would continue to be a problem throughout the 30s and 40s, the socialists had won.
Swiftly a provisional government was formed, a constitution written, and elections held. The new Italian Republic was democratic in character, but Giacomoism was at the heart of its new constitution with protections for civil and human rights acting as an unshakable foundation.
Italy's flag would change several times during this period, before finally settling on a design known affectionately as La Bandiera Bianca. The white field of the flag represented peace and non-violence, and Italy's dedication to such. The Italian tricolour was found in the lower left, but had taken on new meaning: the green represented the land of Italy, the white represented the peace that had been brought to Italy, and the red represented the socialist society that peace would transform Italy into. In the upper left was the emblem of the new government. The circle of an olive branch, a gear, and sheaves of wheat represented peace, progress, and plenty respectively in a self-sustaining circle - peace brought progress, progress brought plenty, and plenty brought peace. In the centre was a traditional bow saw - a symbol of manual labour and the physical toil of the proletariat, but primarily meant as a symbol for Saint James himself, due to a belief that his body was sawn apart following he was martyred. The bow saw was also chosen as the shape of its wooden frame formed an IH monogram - an ancient symbol of Christianity, and an indication that the government intended to return to Christ's original teachings.
(Note: The above flag is technically 402px tall, not 400px, but only because of the black border. The border is not a part of the flag - it's just to make the edge clearer as the flag is mostly white. Hopefully that's permissible, even if it technically violates the rules.
)
Italian Republic / Repubblica Italiana
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up for treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."
- Epistle of James, 5:1-6
The seeds of the Kingdom of Italy's downfall were sown in the First World War. Initially hesitant to honour their alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, the latter began secret negotiations in an attempt to maintain the Triple Alliance. British military intelligence caught wind of this and, fearing that Italy might join the war against them, began funding anti-war Italian political groups, primarily pacifistic socialist radicals. This had little effect on Italy's decision to declare war, but after the smoke had cleared and hundreds of thousands of Italians lay dead at French and British hands Italy found itself a country weary of war, and British funding had given the socialists a foothold. Despite this it wasn't until the early 1930s that socialism truly took off in the country. Two factors are considered key for the historic surge in socialist popularity: the Great Depression, and Giacomoismo.
Whilst elsewhere socialism was a specifically atheistic ideology, in Italy it had become intertwined with the non-violent teachings of Jesus, and an anti-capitalist interpretation of Christianity. Known as Giacomoismo - named after James (Giacomo) the Just, brother of Christ, whose writings (including the quote found above) influenced the foundation of the ideology - this form of socialism emphasised non-violence, believing that war served only to harm the proletariat and enrich the bourgeoisie. The Giacomoists' powerbase was in the South, where class divisions were strong and the poor were subject to rampant economic and political exploitation. The impact of the Great Depression brought poverty to every corner of Italy, however, and with it dissatisfaction with traditional ideologies. By 1932 the Giacomoists had gained the loyalty of millions of Italians from the North and South, and used this power to launch a co-ordinated series of labour strikes and various other non-violent protests. The government's response was swift and bloody. Though non-violence was central to the Giacomoist philosophy, thousands of poor labourers being imprisoned, beaten, abused, and killed provoked many, reluctantly, to violent resistance.
Day by day the situation escalated. Protests turned into riots; riots into revolution. After months of bloody skirmishes and embarrassing losses, the King saw the writing on the wall and conceded defeat to the socialists, fleeing the country shortly thereafter. Though monarchists and anti-socialist militias would continue to be a problem throughout the 30s and 40s, the socialists had won.
Swiftly a provisional government was formed, a constitution written, and elections held. The new Italian Republic was democratic in character, but Giacomoism was at the heart of its new constitution with protections for civil and human rights acting as an unshakable foundation.
Italy's flag would change several times during this period, before finally settling on a design known affectionately as La Bandiera Bianca. The white field of the flag represented peace and non-violence, and Italy's dedication to such. The Italian tricolour was found in the lower left, but had taken on new meaning: the green represented the land of Italy, the white represented the peace that had been brought to Italy, and the red represented the socialist society that peace would transform Italy into. In the upper left was the emblem of the new government. The circle of an olive branch, a gear, and sheaves of wheat represented peace, progress, and plenty respectively in a self-sustaining circle - peace brought progress, progress brought plenty, and plenty brought peace. In the centre was a traditional bow saw - a symbol of manual labour and the physical toil of the proletariat, but primarily meant as a symbol for Saint James himself, due to a belief that his body was sawn apart following he was martyred. The bow saw was also chosen as the shape of its wooden frame formed an IH monogram - an ancient symbol of Christianity, and an indication that the government intended to return to Christ's original teachings.
(Note: The above flag is technically 402px tall, not 400px, but only because of the black border. The border is not a part of the flag - it's just to make the edge clearer as the flag is mostly white. Hopefully that's permissible, even if it technically violates the rules.
)
Hope I'm not too late!
Byelorussian People’s Atomic Republic
Белорусская Народная Атомная Республика
In an atompunk-inspired ATL, the state of Belarus (along with Ukraine) becomes an allied state to the Soviet Union, instead of a Soviet republic. In addition to that, the worse than OTL devastation suffered by the Soviet Union meant that their atomic program had to became much more of a group effort for the entire Eastern bloc. The resources of other states were included by thinly-veiled threats but also by promises of cheap and plentiful energy for all. In the end, the entire Eastern bloc poured a considerable amount of their resources into a rapid development of both civil and military atomic energy. The one concession made by the Soviet Union to the other states was to situate the nexus of atomic research, testing and installation to Belarus.
In 1955, ten years had passed from the initial start of the atomic program. By that time, already over a 1000 MW of nuclear power capacity had been installed in Belarus. Of course, this included the small and experimental reactors developed in the late 1940-s, but the right designs to scale the power generation up had already been found and this capacity was projected to increase tenfold over the next decade in Belarus alone. The other Eastern bloc states and the Soviet Union were busy building their own capacity based on the shared designs, but the effects of cheap energy flowing across borders from Belarus had already been felt lifting the socialist economy. The future looked as bright as the atomic fire of peace.
Among this wave of euphoria, Belarus adopted the new official name of People’s Atomic Republic to enshrine their historical role in the program. Of course, a new flag was also designed for the same reason.
The flag is composed of a field of red for socialism, along with a green stripe referencing the traditional life of the people of Belarus. In the center stands a symbol of Atomic Sun on Earth, burning orange-yellow, with a simplified yellow atomic symbol in the middle.
Byelorussian People’s Atomic Republic
Белорусская Народная Атомная Республика
In an atompunk-inspired ATL, the state of Belarus (along with Ukraine) becomes an allied state to the Soviet Union, instead of a Soviet republic. In addition to that, the worse than OTL devastation suffered by the Soviet Union meant that their atomic program had to became much more of a group effort for the entire Eastern bloc. The resources of other states were included by thinly-veiled threats but also by promises of cheap and plentiful energy for all. In the end, the entire Eastern bloc poured a considerable amount of their resources into a rapid development of both civil and military atomic energy. The one concession made by the Soviet Union to the other states was to situate the nexus of atomic research, testing and installation to Belarus.
In 1955, ten years had passed from the initial start of the atomic program. By that time, already over a 1000 MW of nuclear power capacity had been installed in Belarus. Of course, this included the small and experimental reactors developed in the late 1940-s, but the right designs to scale the power generation up had already been found and this capacity was projected to increase tenfold over the next decade in Belarus alone. The other Eastern bloc states and the Soviet Union were busy building their own capacity based on the shared designs, but the effects of cheap energy flowing across borders from Belarus had already been felt lifting the socialist economy. The future looked as bright as the atomic fire of peace.
Among this wave of euphoria, Belarus adopted the new official name of People’s Atomic Republic to enshrine their historical role in the program. Of course, a new flag was also designed for the same reason.
The flag is composed of a field of red for socialism, along with a green stripe referencing the traditional life of the people of Belarus. In the center stands a symbol of Atomic Sun on Earth, burning orange-yellow, with a simplified yellow atomic symbol in the middle.
I'm just going to go ahead and post the poll then. I hope @SpaceGod won't mind.
Here it is: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/weekly-flag-challenge-169-poll.422109/
Here it is: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/weekly-flag-challenge-169-poll.422109/