Theraised fist, or theclenched fist, is a long-standing image of mixed meaning, often asymbol ofsolidarity, especially with a political movement. It is a common symbol representing a wide range of political ideologies, most notablysocialism,communism,anarchism, andtrade unionism, and can also be used as asalute expressing unity, strength, orresistance.
The origin of the raised fist as either a symbol or gesture is unclear. Its use intrade unionism,anarchism, and thelabor movement had begun by the 1910s.William "Big Bill" Haywood, a founding member of theIndustrial Workers of the World, used the metaphor of a fist as something greater than the sum of its parts during a speech at the1913 Paterson silk strike.[2] Journalist and socialist activistJohn Reed described hearing a similar description from a participant in the strike.[3] A large raised fist rising from a crowd ofstriking workers was used to promote a mass strike in Budapest in 1912.[4] In the United States, clenched fist was described by the magazineMother Earth as "symbolical of the social revolution" in 1914.[5]
The use of the fist as a salute bycommunists andantifascists is first evidenced in 1924, when it was adopted for theCommunist Party of Germany'sRoter Frontkämpferbund ("Alliance of Red Front-Fighters"). In reaction, theNazi Party adopted the well-knownRoman salute two years later.[6] The gesture of the raised fist was apparently known in the United States as well, and is seen in a photograph from aMay Day march in New York City in 1936.[7] It is perhaps best known in this era from its use during theSpanish Civil War of 1936–1939, as a greeting by theRepublican faction, and known as the "Popular Front salute" or the "anti-fascist salute".[8]
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The graphic symbol was popularised in 1948 byTaller de Gráfica Popular, a print shop inMexico that used art to advance revolutionary social causes.[10] Its use spread through the United States in the 1960s after artist and activistFrank Cieciorka produced a simplified version for theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee: this version was subsequently used byStudents for a Democratic Society and theBlack Power movement.[11]
The raised right fist was frequently used in posters produced during theMay 1968 revolt in France, such asLa Lutte continue, depicting a factory chimney topped with a clenched fist.[12][13][14]
Robin Morgan designed the feminist symbol of a raised fist within theVenus symbol for aprotest of the 1969 Miss America pageant, where it was popularized.[15][16]
A raised fist incorporating the outline of the state of Wisconsin, as designed in 2011, is meant for union protests against the state rescinding collective bargaining.[17]
The raised fist logo generally carries the same symbolism as a hand gesture. It was an important symbol of workers rights and labor movements, as well as specific labor actions, such as strikes, boycotts, and walk-outs.
Notable examples include thefist and rose, a white fist holding a red rose, used by theSocialist International and some socialist orsocial democratic parties, such as the FrenchSocialist Party and theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party.[8] The fist can represent ethnic solidarity, such as in theBlack Power fist ofBlack nationalism and theBlack Panther Party, a Black Marxist group in the 1960s,[18] or theWhite Power fist ofWhite nationalism.[19] A Black fist logo was also adopted by thenorthern soul musicsubculture.Loyalists inNorthern Ireland occasionally use a red clenched fist onmurals depicting theRed Hand of Ulster, which is also featured on theflag of Ulster.[20]Irish republicans, on the other hand, have been seen displaying raised fists.[21]
The image gallery shows how a raised fist is used invisual communication. Combined with anothergraphic element, a raised fist is used to conveypolysemousgestures and opposing forces.[22] Depending on the elements combined, the meaning of the gesture changes intone andintention. For example, ahammer and sickle combined with a raised right fist is part ofcommunist symbolism, while the same right fist combined with aVenus symbol representsFeminism, and combined with abook, it represents somelibrarians who opposedigital rights management. The Gonzo fist emblem, characterized by two thumbs and four fingers holding apeyote button, was originally used inHunter S. Thompson's 1970 campaign for sheriff ofAspen, Colorado. It has become a symbol of Thompson andgonzo journalism as a whole.
TheUnicode character for the raised fist isU+270A ✊RAISED FIST.
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Different movements sometimes use different terms to describe the raised fist salute: amongst communists and socialists, raised right fist is sometimes called the red salute, whereas in the United States it is widely known as theBlack Power salute due to use by many African-American activists. TheRotfrontkämpferbundparamilitary organization ofCommunist Party of Germany used the right hand fist salute as early as 1924.[23] By this time, theSoviet Union had already established the use of a traditional Russian military salute. During theSpanish Civil War, it was sometimes known as theanti-fascist salute. A letter from the Spanish Civil War stated: "...the raised fist which greets you in Salud is not just a gesture—it means life and liberty being fought for and a greeting of solidarity with the democratic peoples of the world."[24]
At the1968 Summer Olympics inMexico City, medal winnersJohn Carlos andTommie Smithgave the raised fist salute during the Americannational anthem as a sign of black power, and as a protest on behalf of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. They were banned from further Olympic activities by theIOC, as the rules then in place prohibited any political statements at the Olympics. The event was one of the most overtly political statements[25] in the history of the modernOlympic Games. Tommie Smith stated in his autobiography, "Silent Gesture", that the salute was not a Black Power salute, but in fact ahuman rights salute.[26]
Nelson Mandela also used the clenched right fist salute upon his release fromVictor Verster Prison in 1990.[8]
The raised right fist is used by officials inPeople's Republic of China when being sworn into office.[27]
PsychologistOliver James has suggested that the appeal of the salute is that it allows the individual to indicate that they "intend to meet malevolent, massive institutional force with force of (their) own", and that they are bound in struggle with others against common oppression.[8]
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The Roman salute characteristic of Italian fascism was first adopted by the PNE and the JONS, later spreading to the Falange and other extreme right groups, before it became the official salute in Franco's Spain. The JAP salute, which consisted of stretching the right arm horizontally to touch the left shoulder enjoyed only relatively little acceptance. The gesture of the raised right fist, so widespread among left-wing workers' groups, gave rise to more regimented variations, such as the salute with the fist on one's temple, characteristic of the GermanRotfront, which was adopted by the republican Popular Army.
