FLAG

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The flag of the Republic of the Congo was adopted in 1959 to replace the French tricolor, it was the flag of the Republic of the Congo until 1970, when the People's Republic of the Congo was established. The new regime changed the flag to a red field with the coat of arms of the People's Republic in the canton. This version was used until the regime collapsed in 1991. The new government quickly restored the original pre-1970 flag.

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Under French colonial rule over the French Congo, the colony was prohibited by the authorities from using its own distinctive colonial flag. This was because they were concerned that this might increase nationalist sentiment and lead to calls for independence. However, with the rise of the decolonization movement in Africa, the French were forced to grant limited autonomy to the Congo as an autonomous republic within the French Community. This was granted on November 28, 1958, after the celebration of a referendum and nine months later, the Legislative Assembly began to deliberate on a national flag.

The new flag was officially adopted on September 15, 1959, and remained unchanged when the French Congo became an independent state less than a year later, on August 15, 1960. It was flown on top of the building that previously it housed the French high commission on the occasion of the proclamation of independence. In 1968, a coup d'état took place in the country, and the new government proclaimed the People's Republic of the Congo a year later. In doing so, it became the first Marxist-Leninist country in Africa. To symbolize revolutionary change, the regime instituted a new national anthem and chose a new flag. This featured a red field charged with the country's new coat of arms, a gold star superimposed with a hammer and hoe surrounded by a crown, in the upper left canton. The design was inspired by that of the flag of the Soviet Union.