History glossary
Swastika
the hooked-cross symbol adopted by the Nazi Party as its emblem.
- Category
- Political symbol
- Region
- Germany
- Date range
- Nazi use from 1920
What it means
The swastika is an ancient hooked-cross symbol that existed in many cultures before Nazism. Hitler and the Nazi Party adopted it as their emblem in a black, white, and red design, turning it in modern European history into a symbol of Nazi ideology, racial hatred, dictatorship, and genocide.
