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Italian Socialist Party - Historical Flags (Italy)

Partito Socialista Italiano

Last modified: 2013-11-11 by rob raeside
Keywords: italy | psi | italian socialist party | partito socialista italiano |
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image by Marcus Schmöger, 23 April 2013

See also:


Refounded party

PSI (Partito Socialista Italiano = Italian Socialist Party)

The original PSI was founded in 1892, but dissolved in 1994. After that followed many years of the socialists in diaspora, the most successful party with socialist roots being the SDI. In 2007, a new party under the name PS (Partito Socialista) collected much of the diaspora, including SDI, I Socialisti Italiani, Partito Socialista (De Michelis) and several other socialist organizations. In 2009, it changed its name to the current one, thus returning to the venerable name and abbreviation. The PSI was part of the center-left alliance in the February 2013 elections. It holds 4 seats in the Camera dei Deputati and 1 seat in the Senato.
The main symbol since the 1970s (under Bettino Craxi) was the red carnation, that remains the symbol of all Italian socialists in the Craxian tradition. The SDI (and now the new PSI), however, have preferred the rose, used by most European socialist and social-democratic parties. The current symbol is a red field with the white party name and a white rose with white European stars; over a field in the national colours, including the red "PSI" in the white stripe. The flag is a banner-of-arms [1,2,3,4].

Sources:
[1] flag no. 202 in Italian political flags collection Schmöger, from
PSI Milano.
[2]
http://www.ilvaglio.it/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/raccolta-firme-asl-113A-300x17\
7.jpg
[3]
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t5TKVQHbB2o/UOhhrAUa7_I/AAAAAAAAClQ/FCL5pI4mpMs/s1600/\
IMG_4217.jpg
[4] http://www.sinistra.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ps_psi.png

Regards,
Marcus Schmöger


Historical Flags

in the book I recently found (L'immagine del socialismo; [bgp82]) there are fotos of 15 old flags of different sections of the Italian Socialist Party (Partito Socialista Italiano = PSI). There is not much info on these flags in the book, only that they date from the late 19th century to about 1920. The flags show on a usually red field typical socialist symbols such as hammer&sickle, wheat ears, rising sun, clasping hands. Furthermore the inscription of the name of the party section and socialist mottos such as "Proletarii di tutti i paesi unitevi!" (Proletarians of all countries, unite!) or "Chi non lavora, non mangia" (Who doesn't work, doesn't eat). The symbols on the flags are usually embroidered or painted. Although I think that the fotos in the book only show the central part of slightly larger flags (there are no edges visible, no fringe etc), my images are showing this central part illustrated in the book in standard size.

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

First is a flag of the "Sezione di Talla" (Tuscany, Arezzo province), which shows beside the inscriptions "P.S.I." and "Sezione di Talla" a central emblem consisting of hammer & sickle and a rising sun. On the photo there are some traces of wheat (or other grain) ears around this emblem,
that I could not show in the image.

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

Second is a flag of the "Sezione di Ponte Caliano" (also Tuscany, Arezzo province), showing grain ears around hammer&sickle and rising sun, as well as the inscriptions "PSI", "SEZ" (for "sezione") and "PONTE CALIANO"

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

The third seems to be (at least to me) the reverse of previous one, as it shows exactly the same central emblem, with the inscription "Chi non lavora, non mangia" (Who doesn't work, doesn't eat).

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

The fourth flag also shows the inscription "Chi non lavora, non mangia" (Who doesn't work, doesn't eat) as well as the inscriptions "P.S.I." and "SEZ.ne SERRA TORNANO" which seems to be rather the name of a person than of a municipality. The central emblem shows grain ears around hammer&sickle; the metallic parts of hammer & sickle seem to be represented by some metallic material (gold leaf?) on the flag.

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

Sezione Giovanile Bonelle (= Youth section Bonelle) (Pistoia province, Tuscany). Beside the inscriptions this flag shows grain ears, hammer& sickle and a raising sun.

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

"Circolo Giovanile Socialista Carlo Marx" (Socialist Youth Circle "Karl Marx") Bagni San Giuliano (Pisa province??). This flag only shows black inscriptions on red.

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

Vecchiazzano section (Forli province, Emilia-Romagna). The flag shows grain ears, hammer&sickle and rising sun in the center; furthermore  the inscription "P.S.I Sezione Socialista Andrea Costa Vecchiazzano (Forli)" (PSI Socialist Section Andrea Costa Vecchiazzano (Forli))

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

"Sezione socialista" (Socialist section) Bagno di Romagna (Forli province, Emilia-Romagna). This flag shows a rising sun in black outline, the name of the party section and the motto "La nostra patria e il mondo intero" (Our fatherland is the whole world).

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

This flag (no idea, where it is from) shows a rising sun behind a golden mountain, around this emblem the inscription "Proletarii di tutti i paesi unitevi!" (Proletarians of all countries, unite!)

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

This flag (no idea, where it is from) shows on a red background two clasping hands, a well-known socialist symbol of solidarity.

image by Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002

This shows on a red background an industrial scene: in the background industry buildings, in the foreground a man and a woman working on a machine. The inscription in gold reads "Evviva il Socialismo." (Long live the socialism)
Marcus Schmöger, 18 August 2002