Twentieth Century would become the most suitable arena for the most memorable, impressive and politically consequential flag spectacles, with the most intense global spread of flagomania, flag waving and invention of the new flags on the eve of its peculiar geopolitical endeavors – either in the pre-Holocaust Germany, or pre-dissolved Soviet Union, in Yugoslavia, during the pre-Blakan brouhaha, or in Africa and Asia, during their analogous staged genocides, etc. The tribal anxiety, preceding any violent division of maps, separations of the states, military action and the ultimate drama of political division, always first manifests itself in the passionate flag waiving, followed by flag burning  and public mischief. The radical nationalist and racist movements, in this most race, origin and blood – preoccupied Twentieth Century, as much as centuries prior to it, all would pass through the same stage of the preliminary flag waving. Flags and radical nationalistic, racist or independence movements have proven to be inseparable. The entire human development history has, in fact been associated with flags, their visually social “fire alarm” role and successful uniform nonverbal communication.

Flags and Flagomania: The Visual Necromantic Pandemia of the Twentieth Century by Anna Makolkin // The American Journal of Semiotics Volume 17, Issue 3, Fall 2001

As background music, please enjoy a short but beautiful piece of Rimsky-Korsakov from The Tale Of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57 – Flight Of The Bumblebee.