The swastika is an ancient symbol that was in use in many different cultures for at least 5,000 years before Adolf Hitler made it the centerpiece of the Nazi flag. Its present-day use by certain extremist groups promotes hate.
Explore the ID Cards to learn more about personal experiences during the Holocaust
Find articles, photos, maps, films, and more listed alphabetically
Find topics of interest and explore encyclopedia content related to those topics
![Group portrait of German girls posing outside their school in front of a Nazi flag. [LCID: 97273]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/thumb/4830c4c2-79f1-4d3b-8da9-eef43c23cd9e.jpg)
![Map titled "Jewish Executions Carried Out by Einsatzgruppen A" [LCID: 200509wu]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/thumb/4912b059-5630-4ec5-b3c8-172fe908f148.jpg)
![At a rally, members of the Hitler Youth parade in the formation of a swastika to honor the Unknown Soldier. [LCID: 85513]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/thumb/cdadf487-50d7-4b0c-a912-ce6d9001f52a.jpg)
![Women survivors huddled in a prisoner barracks shortly after Soviet forces liberated the Auschwitz camp. [LCID: 31450b]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/thumb/8fdec1b8-47fa-40f1-9a27-06e7262bad5e.jpg)
![Illustration from an antisemitic children's primer. [LCID: 10640c]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/thumb/4c6348d1-d3e6-4be3-aae5-b12761f4f20a.jpg)
