Hero (title)
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The title of Hero is presented by various governments to their citizens for committing acts of self-sacrifice to the state, or for great achievements on the field of battle or in the labor force. The first Hero title that was presented was the Hero of Soviet Union, while it was followed with the Hero of Socialist Labor. Other nations in the past presented hero titles and some nations still do today. Some of those nations include Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Not only people were awarded titles, but cities were also presented the hero title. Regardless of the recipient of the title or the nation presenting the title, every hero is awarded a medal for public display, granted special benefits to use until their death, and the admiration and respect from their fellow countrymen.
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[edit] Soviet titles
The first Hero title that was awarded was the Hero of the Soviet Union, issued by the Soviet Union. The title was created in 1934, but the medal was not issued until 1939. The medal, called the Gold Star Medal, was created with a decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. [1] The title was awarded for "personal or collective deeds of heroism rendered to the USSR or socialist society" and it can be awarded to either military personnel or civilians. The second hero title awarded by the Soviet Union is called the Hero of Socialist Labor. Also known as the Hammer and Sickle medal, it was also created by a decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on 22 May 1940. However, the medal was mainly created to honor those who were presented the title, officially in place since 1938. The title was awarded for heroic achievements in labor, which included creating and using methods that improve the Soviet economy and increasing productivity and efficiency. Both of these titles were awarded with a diploma presented by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet and the decoration Order of Lenin.
[edit] Hero Cities
People were not the only recepients of the title Hero. The Soviet Union awarded the title of Hero to 12 cities and one fortress. The Soviet Government decided to award the cities the title of Hero for outstanding heroism during the Great Patriotic War, which took place from 1941 to 1945. The twelve Soviet cities were Minsk, Smolensk, Kiev, Odessa, Moscow, Leningrad, Tula, Sevastopol, Kerch, Murmansk, Stalingrad and Novorossiysk. The only fortress that was awarded the title is Brest, which was given the title Hero-Fortress. Each city was awarded the Gold Star medal and was allowed to display the medal on their coat of arms.
[edit] Non-Soviet titles
Several nations, other than the Soviet Union, issued their own hero titles. Some of these nations were part of the Warsaw Pact. These titles either copied directly or modified from the original Soviet title. While most of these nations decided to use the two tier system, Romania was the only one that used a three tier system. Not all communist or socialist nations issued hero titles and nations that were not affiliated with the Soviet Union or communism issued hero titles.
[edit] List of non-Soviet titles
- Afghanistan - Hero of Revolutionary Afghanistan
- Albania - Hero of the People, Hero of Socialist Work
- Bulgaria - Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, Hero of Socialist Labour
- Cuba - Hero of the Republic of Cuba
- Czechoslovakia - Hero of the CSSR, Hero of Socialist Labour
- East Germany - Hero of the German Democratic Republic, Hero of Labour
- Hungary - Hero of the Hungarian People's Republic
- Jamaica - Order of National Hero
- North Korea - Hero of the Republic, Hero of Labor
- Mongolia - Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic
- Romania - Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania, Hero of Socialist Labour, Hero of the Agrarian Revolution
- Yugoslavia - People's Hero of Yugoslavia
- Vietnam - Hero of Vietnam
[edit] Post-Soviet titles
Both the Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Socialist Labor titles were awarded until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. After this event, that caused the 15 Republics that were part of the Soviet Union to become individual nations. Each nation, starting at different times, began issuing their own titles, orders and decorations. Some nations, like Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, did not create hero titles for their citizens. However, some nations like Russia, Belarus and Ukraine issued their own hero titles. The criteria for the titles remained the same in these nations, most allowed for one title to be presented for both heroism and great achievements in labor. Ukraine is the only former Soviet Union to continue the two tier hero title system: Order of the Gold Star for heroism and Order of the State for great achievements in labor. Georgia also established the title of National Hero and the Order of National Hero in 2004. A breakaway region of Georgia, Abkhazia, has its own title called Hero of Abkhazia. [2]
[edit] List of post-Soviet titles
- Belarus - Hero of Belarus
- Kazakhstan - National Hero of Kazakhstan
- Russia - Hero of the Russian Federation
- Turkmenistan - Hero of Turkmenistan
- Ukraine - Hero of Ukraine (Order of the Gold Star and Order of the State)
- Uzbekistan - Hero of Uzbekistan
