How did Hitler come to adopt the Indian (sacred hindu) symbol of swastika as his party symbol?

Question

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Answer 1

just like any other party trying to adopt the other parties symbol hitler adopted the hindu symbol of swastika and reversed it for the reasons .the clear thing that was hoped why he choose the indian symbol was that he was in jail.at that time germany was in a weak position.he heard about the indian war of independence.and by its inspirstion he rose up and made germany a super power.so to honour indians he adopted the swastika.it is natural for a person to adopt other group's symbols.even the very famous symbol of illuminati was adopted by some groups.

Answer 2

I read lots of history, coz I am interested. I’ve read a bit about Hitler and his regime. Recently there was a program on NatGeo, about a guy, who is doing some research on Hitlers last days. He went to KGB museum, to see the remains of Hitler– his pistol, cigarette box, the teeth, it seems Hitler had golden teeth and gums. Hitler got it done that way, coz he did not want to visit the dentist too often, and wanted a permanent solution.

I have wondered how Hitler got to use the Swastika which is a Hindu religious symbol for his Nazi regime.

The swastika was employed by various American Indian tribes, the Navahos in particular, for whom it was a sort of good luck sign. For some other tribes, it was a representation of the four directions, and embodied the concept that the sacred place of human beings is at the center of the 4 directions.

The Swastika can be found in all Ganesha pictures..with ‘Shubh Labh’ written along. It is the symbol of prosperity. The Swastika is used widely throughout the world even today, by Hindus, Buddhists and the Jains. What does it symbolize ? The most important thing of course, the Sun. It depicts the sun circling through the sky. It basically was the Good Luck or Sun symbol known as the Wheel of life.


This one is about Hitlers connection to it. I did a bit research to know how Hitler chose the Swastika for this symbol and here is the story.

In Europe, in 1870, the German Archeologist Heinrich Schliemann, was digging. That’s what archeologists do. He was digging up Troy and Mycenae (I am sure you remember these places, from Brad Pitt starrer – Troy ). He dug out many things that had Swastika symbol on them. Heinrich was not a racist, but he popularized the symbol in his books and writings, stating that it was the symbol of the Aryans.

Long before Hitler – the fanatical Aryan supremacist – Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels – used the Swastika symbol for this cult in 1907.

But, but, but, the German Nazis did not call it Swastika. They called it Hakenfreuz ie Hook – Cross or Thorshamarr or The hammer of Thor. For the Germans also, it depicted the Suns movement, and the Wheel of life. They used the symbol in both clockwise – Doesil and the counterclockwise – Widdershins directions, but both meant the same, and not opposites. The Nazi’s used the Clock wise Swastika, ie the Doesil Thorshamarr.

Many anti-semitic and militarist groups adopted the symbol around 1920s. Hitler is supposed to have been influenced by Jorg Lanz and adopted the symbol around the same time. It is one of the most effective political symbols ever devised.

Answer 3

The swastika is quite a sanatana symbol, not bound up with any nation or ideology. ... So, his party did not exist at the time of the Mahatma's murder
If the swastika itself has always been a Hindu symbol, then I disagree with opposing its restoration. The Nazis are dead, and people should move on. We cannot let the stigma of Nazism stay in everything that had once "embodied" their ideology, and in turn deny the rights of others. It is for the same reason that we should not discriminate Germans just because of World War II.

The Hindus have a right to religious freedom. The swatika symbol brings not showers of burning coal or dead llamas.

This might seem inappropriate, but I see the wisdom in our fave Dumbledee's words; "Fear of the name increase fear of the thing itself." Why fear the Swastika? If it is used in a manner disrespectful to world history (going to a party in a Nazi costume, for example ;)), then that would be wrong, but to deny the Hindus a symbol that they see as essential to their practice? That's blind oppression. The Hindus had never even played a part in World War II.

Where the Swastika has been used for neutral purposes and dates back to even before the use by the Nazis, then I believe it should not be changed but what more continued. Why? To dispel the stigma. I don't love the swastika or anything, but I find its total rejection because of historical stigma a bit over-the-top. As I've said, there are instances where it would be deemed inappropriate; but opposition for it being on the Finnish airlines logo? Well, we do live in an open world... or do we really?

Answer 4

When hitler was a young lad had taken up art and was a ifted artist. When he saw the disruption of Germany after the WW1 then he started a vigourous campaign for the revival of Germany.

In one of the Beer Hall speeches, he impressed Ernst Hanfsanegl. Then a art book publisher and a wealthy person who had come back from United States with his ife Helene and two children.

Ernst asked him to get a distinctful look like Lenin. So the reason why Hitler trimmed the moustaches. Ernst told Hitler that he could make him famous and help him in his propaganga. But needed to create a distinct flag and above all a symbol or emblem.

Hilter was a greatly influnced by the Aryan race, who too had a superior race thinking in them. Hitler wanted a symbol to show off the supremacy factor. So on great research, in one of the Aryan historys saw the Swastika which caught his eye. The meaning of Swastika was in conjunction with his propaganda. The symbol meant "The Unconquoerable" for the pure nazi race as true people of Germany.

Hence, This is the reason for choosing the Swasthika

Answer 5

Here is the most reliable answer. ( As per my findings )

The historical information about the development of the swastika does not explicitly state why a swastika in the first place. Smith 1975 notes that it was a symbol of the Aryan peoples (among many others) in much earlier days, possibly a sun symbol, and he obliquely implied a link between that and Hitler's ideals of an Aryan race.

Rob Raeside, 6 January 2001

The swastika was earlier used as a sign for power, and thus often used on maps to indicate where you could find a power plant or such things. The Swedish company ASEA —now the "A" in the Swedish-Swiss company ABB— used a swastika in its logo until the beginning of the 1930's, when this symbol got a more political meaning. In Swedish, a swastika is called hakkors or hook cross, so at least here it is considered a form of a cross. The hooks are of course formed by the cross arms that are set in angles. Swastikas were used in the air force signs of Finland and of Latvia from their independence following World War One and until the 1940's. The use of swastikas by the Finnish in their war of 1941-1944 against the Soviet Union, had therefore nothing to do with their alliance with Germany at the time.

Answer 6

The swastika is an extremely powerful symbol. The Nazis used it to murder millions of people, but for centuries it had positive meanings. 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.
During the following thousand years, 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 well known, if not commonly used, symbol but was called by many different names:

Answer 7

The Swastika can be found in all Ganesha pictures..with ‘Shubh Labh’ written along. It is the symbol of prosperity. The Swastika is used widely throughout the world even today, by Hindus, Buddhists and the Jains. What does it symbolize ? The most important thing of course, the Sun. It depicts the sun circling through the sky. It basically was the Good Luck or Sun symbol known as the Wheel of life.

Answer 8

Ancient occult symbol of the sun and the four directions. Revived by Hitler, it represents racism and the "white supremacy" of neo-nazis. Like other occult symbols, it is often placed inside a circle. See also Swastika meant good before evil. "The swastika is actually a pre-Hitler elitist symbol that has been found in the Skull & Bones vault at Yale. There is also a swastika on the gravestone of John Ruskin (mentor of Cecil Rhodes, who formed the secret Society of the Elect 'to take the government of the whole world,' in Rhodes' own words). In TIME AND TIDE (1867), Ruskin wrote that "...the Government must have an authority over the people of which we now do not so much as dream." According to award-winning author Alan Axelrod, Ruskin was 'reportedly a student of the ILLUMINATI.'"

Answer 9

The Swastika was adopted as his party's logo by Hitler around 1920. Since then, it has come to symbolize oppression, genocide, injustice and most of all, a reminder of the the horrors of the holocaust.

1920 May 20 A right-handed (counterclockwise) swastika makes its first public appearance as the flag of the Nazi movement at the foundation meeting of the local Starnberg group. Hitler convinced Friedrich Krohn, who originally had proposed a left-handed design, to make the change. Krohn, however, was responsible for the color scheme of a black swastika in a white circle on a red background.

Few people in the west know however, that Swastika is originally an ancient Indian symbol. Originally a sanskrit word, 'Swastik' means 'to be well'. Appearing first in Vedas, the ancient Indian scriptures, Swastiks are found all over India in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples, streets, religious gatherings, ceremonies and festivities. Many Indian households still decorate their frontyards with Swastik patterns everyday.

Answer 10

An ancient swastika which symbolized the four winds or directions and their corresponding spirits. It was also a "fire and sun symbol occurring initially in Asia and later among the Germanic tribes," according to The Herder Symbol Dictionary. "The cross inscribed in a circle mediates between the square and the circle," emphasizing the "joining of heaven and earth.... and "the perfected human being."

Ancient occult symbol of the sun and the four directions. Revived by Hitler, it represents racism and the "white supremacy" of neo-nazis. Like other occult symbols, it is often placed inside a circle. See also Swastika meant good before evil. "The swastika is actually a pre-Hitler elitist symbol that has been found in the Skull & Bones vault at Yale. There is also a swastika on the gravestone of John Ruskin (mentor of Cecil Rhodes, who formed the secret Society of the Elect 'to take the government of the whole world,' in Rhodes' own words). In TIME AND TIDE (1867), Ruskin wrote that "...the Government must have an authority over the people of which we now do not so much as dream." According to award-winning author Alan Axelrod, Ruskin was 'reportedly a student of the ILLUMINATI.'"

Answer 11

The swastika (from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक svastika) is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing (卍) or right-facing (卐) direction. The swastika is a sacred symbol in Hinduism and Jainism. The Hindu version is often decorated with a dot in each quadrant.

However, in the Western world, it is most widely known and used as a symbol of Nazism. It is traditionally oriented so that a main line is horizontal, though it is occasionally rotated at forty-five degrees.

But the swastika had a long life before Hitler and the Nazis. It has been for centuries a symbol of peace, laughter, joy and good luck. It is one of the oldest symbols of mankind.

The Nazis appropriated the swastika and put it to their evil use, they contaminated this symbol forever. They have had the swastika hostage for more than 50 years. The swastika, most people believe, symbolizes Nazism and evil.

Hitler described the Nazis' new flag: "In red we see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalistic idea, in the swastika the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic."