How Did the World Come to Hate the Swastika?
This is how Hitler corrupted the Swastika.
Until the 20th century, Swastika was one of the most revered symbols in many cultures around the world. Swastika means “well-being” in Sanskrit.
For thousands of years, the swastika has been an auspicious symbol, particularly in the Indian religions of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The first record of Swastika in Asia is from the Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BCE. It is considered a symbol of good luck and prosperity.
At the dawn of the 20th century, Swastika had grown in popularity and had huge followings all around the world. It had become a symbol of good luck in the Western world. Swastika was so famous that even brands like “Coca-Cola” and “Carlsberg” associated themselves with Swastika. “Coca-Cola” had its name printed on a Swastika-shaped plate, while “Carlsberg” used it on its bottles. The United States Army used Swastika as one of its symbols in the First World War. Similarly, the Finnish Air Force had the Swastika as its logo.
But this all changed when Hitler and his Nazi Party stole the Swastika and corrupted it forever!
Why did Hitler choose Swastika? For this, we need to go back in time.
What happened is that in 1871, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the ancient city of Troy, which is mentioned in the Iliad, an epic poem by Homer, an ancient Greek poet. Schliemann found Swastika on various sculptures excavated in Troy. Schliemann connected it with the similar shapes found in German pottery and Aryan culture around Eurasia. This discovery increased Swastika’s fame all around the world.
But the connection made by Schliemann between ancient German people and other Aryans made some extremists and nationalists believe that Germans belong to the superior Aryan race. Over the course of time, this developed the idea of Aryan superiority and racial purity.
After the First World War, nationalism and anti-Semitism were growing in Germany. During that time, Swastika came to be associated with the Aryan race, and Germans believed that they were in fact descendants of Aryans. Subsequently, they believed that Germans were a master race that was superior to others. One such nationalist was Adolf Hitler, who quickly adopted the Swastika as a symbol of his Nazi party.
The Nazis used a banner with a red background and a black Swastika on a white disc. This banner became the official flag of Nazi Germany when they came into power in 1933, and this started the downfall of Swastika in the Western world. Nazis promoted their fascist ideologies, and the Swastika was their symbol. Due to the crimes committed by Nazis during the Second World War and the Holocaust, the image of Swastika was tarnished forever.
The once-loved Swastika became one of the most despised symbols in the Western World after the Second World War. Its popularity declined rapidly.
Today, Swastika is one of the most hated and frowned upon symbols in the Western world. It is associated with extremism, antisemitism, and racial supremacy. Neo-Nazis all around the world use Swastika, which has become a symbol of fascism. It is banned in many countries in Europe, and there remains controversy and suspicion over its use in most other Western countries.
