An extremely powerful symbol used by the Nazis to murder millions of people. Although for centuries it had a positive meaning. What is the history of the swastika? Does it now represent good or evil?

The Oldest Known Symbol
The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years. (That even predates the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Ankh!) Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE.

The image of the swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including in China, Japan, India, and southern Europe. By the middle ages, the swastika was a very well known symbol but referred to by many different names:

- China - wan
- England - fylfot
- Germany - Hakenkreuz
- Greece - tetraskelion and gammadion
- India - swastika

Though it is not known for exactly how long, Native Americans also have long used the symbol of the swastika.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the swastika was a common symbol of German nationalism and could be found in a multitude of places such as the emblem for the Wandervogel, a German youth movement; on Joerg Lanz von Liebenfels' antisemitic periodical Ostara; on various Freikorps units; and as an emblem of the Thule Society.

In 1920, Adolf Hitler decided that the Nazi Party needed its own insignia and flag. For Hitler, the new flag had to be "a symbol of our own struggle" as well as "highly effective as a poster." (Mein Kampf, pg. 495)

On August 7, 1920, at the Salzburg Congress, this flag became the official emblem of the Nazi Party.

Because of the Nazis' flag, the swastika soon became a symbol of hate, antisemitism, violence, death, and murder. There is a great debate as to what the swastika means now. For 3,000 years, the swastika meant life and good luck. But because of the Nazis, it has also taken on a meaning of death and hate.

Unfortunately, the Nazis were so effective at their use of the swastika emblem, that many do not even know any other meaning for the swastika.

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Article provided by The nachnach.com team