Red flag

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Red flag (politics)

In politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, Communism, and left-wing politics; it has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution (1789–99). Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its use by the Paris Commune of 1871. The flags of several communist states, including China, Vietnam and the Soviet Union, are explicitly based on the original red flag. The red flag is also used as a symbol by some democratic socialists and social democrats, for example the Avami National Party of Pakistan, French Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party of Germany. The Labour Party in Britain used it until the late 1980s. It was the inspiration for the socialist anthem, The Red Flag.

History

In the Middle Ages, ships in combat flew a long red streamer, called the Baucans, to signify a fight to the death. In one petition, a group of English sailors asserted that the Crown had no right to a share of the prize money earned from a Norman ship captured in 1293 because it had raised the Baucans. (Raising this streamer may have been a relatively novel practice at this time, since the writers feel the need to explain it.) By the 17th century, the Baucans had evolved into a red flag, or "flag of defiance." It was raised in cities and castles under siege to indicate that they would not surrender. "The red flag is a signal of defiance and battle," according to Chambers Cyclopedia (1727–41).

Red flag (idiom)

The term red flag could mean either a literal flag used for signaling or, as a metaphor, a sign of some particular problem requiring attention.

The earliest citation for "red flag" in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1602 and shows that at that time the flag was used by military forces to indicate that they were preparing for battle.

The earliest citation of "red flag" in the sense of a warning is dated 1777 and refers to a flag warning of flood.

The term and the expression "to raise the red flag" come from various usages of real flags throughout history. The semaphore red flag (or red light) on railways means an immediate stop, while a red flag is frequently flown by armed forces to warn the public of live fire exercises in progress, and is sometimes flown by ships carrying munitions (in this context it is actually the flag for the letter B in the International maritime signal flag alphabet, a red swallow-tailed flag). In many countries a red flag is flown to signify that an outdoor shooting range is in use. The United States Air Force refers to its largest annual exercise as red flag operation. Red flags are used for various signals in team sailing races (see Racing Rules of Sailing). A red flag warning is a signal of high wildfire danger and a red flag on the beach warns of dangerous water conditions (double red flags indicate beach closure). Red flags of various designs indicate dangerous wind and wave conditions for mariners. In auto racing, a red flag indicates a stop to the race due to dangerous conditions.

Peruvian Communist Party

The Peruvian Communist Party (in Spanish: Partido Comunista Peruano) is a communist party in Peru. It was founded in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui, under the name Partido Socialista del Perú (Socialist Party of Peru). In 1930 the name was changed to PCP. PCP is often identified as PCP [Unidad], to separate it from the Communist Party of Peru.

Jorge Del Prado was the general secretary between 1966 and 1991. In 1980 the PCP and other left-wing groups formed the United Left.

The main political base of the PCP is currently located at Plaza Ramón Castilla, Lima and is led by Roberto De La Cruz Huama. PCP publishes Unidad (Unity) and Nuestra Bandera (Our Flag).

In the 2011 general election the party took part in the successful Peru Wins alliance of Ollanta Humala.

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Peruvian Communist Party – Red Flag

Peruvian Communist Party – Red Flag (in Spanish: Partido Comunista Peruano - Bandera Roja), was a communist party in Peru founded in 1964 following a split in the Peruvian Communist Party. PCP-BR sided with the People's Republic of China and Maoism in the Sino-Soviet split. Leaders included Saturnino Paredes, José Sotomayor and future Shining Path founder Abimael Guzmán, who formed his own organization as a splinter from this party. PCP-BR participated in the 1978 elections, on the lists of FOCEP.

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