Every culture has its own symbols. A symbol that is extremely valuable to us may not mean anything to a foreigner from a different continent. The peace sign, however, is not one of these symbols. Wherever you go in the world, if you see a symbol in a circle where four lines intersect at the midpoint, its only meaning is peace. The peace sign has been used in a common sense all over the world for decades.
The story of the emergence of the peace sign is quite interesting. This symbol emerged at a time when people were tired of death after the Second World War. In the following years, he traveled all over the world by making a fast journey and became a symbol expressing humanity’s common longing for peace. The first meaning was slightly different. Let’s take a closer look at how the peace sign came about and see its meaning that has changed over time.
Opponents of nuclear disarmament need a symbol:
The year was 1958. The Cold War between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was in full swing. There was no actual conflict, but the slightest spark could turn into a fire at any moment. The fact that both states had nuclear weapons made things even more difficult. Then the United Kingdom, that is, England, joined the nuclear armament caravan.
The British, who had suffered countless casualties in both the First and Second World Wars, rebelled against this situation and the people literally revolted. Numerous protest demonstrations were held one after the other and it was aimed to prevent the nuclear armament of the state. One of the most active participants in these protests, Christian pacifist and graphic designer Gerald Holtom was tasked with creating banners and symbols for nuclear disarmament.
Gerald Holtom locked himself in his room and kept his pen talking for days. Each of Holtom’s designs was unique and exactly what they wanted. However, it was not simple enough to appeal to everyone living in the world. A few days later, the symbol he sent to the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, of which he was a member, was simple, effective and would change the world.
The peace sign was crafted using the sailors’ semaphore alphabet:
Marines have many unique jargons that only they will understand. One of these jargons is dealing with flags. The sailors drew some symbols on the flags and negotiated using them. The semaphore alphabet created by these symbols came to Gerald Holtom’s mind and he understood exactly what he wanted to draw.
thought of the first letters of the sentence nuclear disarmament, which means nuclear disarmament in English; N and D. First he drew an N in semaphore alphabet, then he drew a D in semaphore alphabet on it. The result was the peace sign known to the whole world today. The symbol he sent to the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was introduced to the public around Easter 1958.
The designer of the peace sign, Gerald Holtom, said that this symbol has another meaning for him. In a letter he sent to the British Peace News magazine, he used exactly the following statements; “I drew myself: a representative of a despondent individual, with his hands stretched out and down as Goya’s villager did in front of a firing squad. I made the drawing a line and put a circle around it.”
The peace sign goes to the USA:
The peace sign, which has become the number one symbol of the nuclear disarmament protests in the UK, soon became the symbol of nuclear weapons all over the country. adopted by opponents of weapons. At that time, wherever you turned your head, you would see a peace sign drawn with spray paint, chalk or pencil. The influence of this symbol reached the new continent in a short time.
The peace sign was first used in the United States in the mid-1960s. It is thought that the person who brought this sign to the USA was Bayard Rustin, who participated in the London march in 1958 and was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest friends. However, when the peace sign arrived in the United States, it was used in an anti-war sense, not as the original meaning of nuclear disarmament.
The reason the peace sign was popular in the United States in the mid-1960s was because the US military went to Vietnam and started an endless bloody war there. Countless people died in the Vietnam War, which started in 1955, and many American youth were forcibly taken to this war. The actions of the US army in Vietnam have left indelible traces even today.
It becomes the common symbol of all who want peace:
As we said, the Cold War was in full swing. The two great powers of the world were not fighting each other, they were challenging each other through smaller states. Czechoslovakia was occupied by the Soviets, apartheid was bloodshed in South Africa. At that time, there were intense right-left conflicts even in our country.
In the midst of all these terrible events, the peace sign became the common voice of humanity, which no longer wants to see blood. The hippie movement, which spread rapidly around the world, embraced the peace sign. You would definitely see peace signs in the cars of hippie groups traveling the world in a Volkswagen van with their long hair, beards and colorful clothes.
The peace sign didn’t just adorn cars. It was drawn on the walls, badges were made, printed in magazines, t-shirts were made, added to the colonial state flags and asked to stop. The rapid spread of the peace sign symbol was thanks to Gerald Holtom’s understanding of simplicity. Because even a small child could easily draw the peace sign, which was so simple despite having such a deep meaning.
Peace sign today:
Designer Gerald Holtom, whose symbol against nuclear disarmament has become a symbol of peace all over the world, passed away in England in 1985, but gave a great deal to the world. left a legacy. Even today, anyone in the world is using the peace sign against the blood that continues to flow. As the recently deceased psychologist Doğan Cüceloğlu said, “The cause of all wars in the world is hatred for a life not lived.”
We answered the question of how the peace sign, which is used as the most important symbol of opposition to war all over the world today, emerged and talked about what you need to know about the role of this symbol in the historical process. You can share your thoughts about the peace sign in the comments.
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