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World flags have an incredible amount of importance and symbolism to people all over the globe. They can be flown as a sign of peace and war, or hung as a sign of ceremonial importance, or defaced as a sign of hatred and violence; people have rallied behind flags as a symbol of unity or dissidence alike.
Historically, flags were first flown in battle to let troops know specific information while they were on the field. They were often used to show troop location or organization, and many times they displayed a family coat of arms or house symbol. Countries soon began to adopt flags as well, essentially derived from coat of arms or other religious symbols, but they were usually only used during war.
Many countries specifically detail their flag in their constitution or at some point in a piece of legislation, and often times changing the flag requires an act of congress if the country is democratic. Drastic changes often reflect a regime change or shift in national perspective, such as when Serbia decided to omit a star found on the Yugoslavian flag representing communism or when Germany changed their flag after the end of World War II.
The American flag, also one of the most recognizable flags in the world, was officially adopted in 1777. After the American Revolutionary War citizens began to fly the flag casually during times of peace, which not only increased its demand but also led to its adoption as a general representation of America. After, other countries soon adopted this relaxed stance of displaying their flags too, although this would eventually be used as a propaganda tool for countries trying to nationalize their entire population under a similar goal. From a vexillological standpoint, the American flag is also laden with symbolism. The stripes represent the original colonies while the stars represent the current states, and the colors were carefully chosen to indicate freedom, liberty, and the cost of these ideals.
The symbolism behind each unique flag varies, even in flags with similar layouts. Many have religious connotations, such as the cross for Christians, the crescent for Islamic states, or the Star of David for the Jewish state of Israel.
