Editing Red star (section)

{{Short description|Symbol associated with communist ideology}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
[[File:Red star.svg|thumb|A red five-pointed star]]
[[File:Volokolamsk (Moscow Oblast) 12.jpg|thumb|A New Year tree with a red star in front of a church cupola in [[Volokolamsk]], Russia, 2010.]]

A '''red star''', [[Five-pointed star|five-pointed]] and filled, is a [[symbol]] that has often historically been associated with [[Communism|communist ideology]], particularly in combination with the [[hammer and sickle]], but is also used as a purely [[Socialism|socialist]] symbol in the 21st century. It has been widely used in [[flag]]s, [[Nation state|state]] [[emblem]]s, [[monument]]s, [[Ornament (art)|ornament]]s, and [[logo]]s. A '''golden star''' or '''yellow star''' is also a closely-associated symbol to the red star in the context of contemporary [[China]] and [[Vietnam]], similarly representing [[socialism]] and [[communism]] while referring the self-perception of the nations being a [[Mongoloid|yellow race]].

Some former [[Warsaw Pact]] nations have passed laws banning it, describing it as a symbol of far-left [[totalitarian]] ideology.<ref>[http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/05/15/7068057/ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization]. [[Ukrayinska Pravda]]. 15 May 2015<br />
[http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/265988.html Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes], [[Interfax-Ukraine]]. 15 May 2015</ref> The red star has also been used in a non-communist context and before the emergence of this movement, in symbols of countries and states since the 19th century. It appears for example on the flags of [[New Zealand]] and the U.S. state of [[California]]. The red star has also been used as logo by private agencies and corporations, such as the oil giant [[Texaco]] and beer multinational [[Heineken]].