Radical Civic Union (Argentina) (original) (raw)

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UCR; Uni�n C�vica Radical

[ [UCR flag] ](../images/a/ar}ucr.gif)
by Francisco Gregoric, 01 Mar 2002

Presentation
About the flag
- How to raise the flag
Flag variants
Argentine political flags
Argentina Other sites:
Radical Civic Union official website

Presentation

UCR is a party with more than 100 years (with evolution in its own name).
Nicolas Rucks, 16 May 2000

The origin of the Uni�n C�vica Radical (U.C.R.) is the revolution of 1890 in Buenos Aires, against the President Miguel Ju�rez Celman. This movement wanted some changes in Argentine Politics. An important point of the demands was the change of the Argentine electoral system, because in those times Argentine presidents were elected in fraudulent elections, no secret, nor �clean�. The revolutionaries wanted the establishment of secret, universal and obligatory vote. The original party was called Uni�n C�vica(Civic Union).

After the Revolution of 1890 the party _Uni�n C�vica_split in Uni�n C�vica Nacional (National Civic Union) and Uni�n C�vica Radical (Radical Civic Union). The U.C.N. came to an agreement with the government without changing the electoral system, while the U.C.R. did not accept that and applied a policy of electoral abstention and uprisings with the help of some sectors of the Army. The U.C.R. did not give up in its demand for secret, universal and obligatory vote. The party U.C.N. disappeared in short time, however the U.C.R. continued in Argentine politics. In 1912 with the Ley Saenz Pe�a(Saenz Pe�a Law) the Argentine electoral system was changed, and Hip�lito Yrigoyen from the U.C.R. was the first Argentine President democratically elected by secret, universal and obligatory vote in 1916.

The U.C.R. or �_Radicalismo_�, is not a �radical� party as we understand this word nowadays. The meaning of the word "radical" in the party�s name is that the idea was to follow �radically� the ideas of the old Uni�n C�vica (Civic Union). The U.C.R. wanted to differentiate itself from the U.C.N. that had come to an agreement with the government.

Francisco Gregoric, 01 Mar 2002

About the flag

The Radical Flag appeared after the Revolution of 1890. (apparently it was first hosted in the city of Rosario in 1893). In this time (before 1912) the Radical Flag was used in political meetings and during the uprisings against the government. Since 1912, the flag has been used in meetings of the U.C.R.

The meaning of the colors in the U.C.R. flag:

white represents the purity of feelings of the U.C.R. members.
red represents the courage of U.C.R. members in their fight for Democracy.

According to historian Eduardo S. Rosenkrantz [rkz97] those colors came from the old colors of Argentine Federalism from the XIXth Century. For example, Juan Manuel de Rosas (and other Federalist leaders asFacundo Quirogaand Felipe Varela) used red and white flags during the XIXth Century.

This connection between Federalist and Radical flags is very possible. The first leader of the U.C.R., Leandro N. Alem, was the son of a member of the Rosist Government, who was executed after the fall of Juan Manuel de Rosas in 1852.

The true Radical Flag does not have the Radical Coat of Arms, nor text. It is a simple two horizontal stripes white and red flag. However, sometimes during political meetings some members of the U.C.R. host flags with the Radical Coat of Arms, or with the "U.C.R." text, or with the picture of the face of a political leader. But those are non-official variants of the flag.

Sources:

[pzz96a] Alberto Rub�n Perazzo: Rese�a Hist�rica del Partido Radical.
[pzz00] Alberto Rub�n Perazzo (2000): Nuestras Banderas - Vexilolog�a Argentina
[rkz97] Eduardo S. Rosenkrantz (1997): Historia de dos Banderas
(several): (Old and present day pictures of political meetings and press conferences). Francisco Gregoric, 01 Mar 2002

How to raise the flag

The U.C.R. flag should be raised with the white stripe on top. However sometimes during political meetings of the party, some people raise the flag in a wrong way, upside down (red stripe ot top).
Francisco Gregoric, 08 Sep 2006

Flag variants

Although the true Radical Flag does not have the Radical Coat of Arms, nor text, sometimes during political meetings some members of the U.C.R. host unofficial variants of the flag. These flags could have the Radical Coat of Arms, or the "U.C.R." text, or the portrait of a historical or present day political leader.

Internal groups of the party sometimes write the name of their sub-groups in the flag, too.
Francisco Gregoric, 08 Sep 2006

Non-official variant design with emblem

[ [UCR unofficial flag] .gif)](../images/a/ar}ucr%29.gif)
by Francisco Gregoric, 08 Sep 2006

Sometimes during political meetings some members of the U.C.R. hoist flags with the Radical Coat of Arms, but those are non-official variants of the flag.
Francisco Gregoric, 01 Mar 2002

The Radical Coat of Arms or Emblem, is based on the Argentine National Coat of Arms (in its shape, position of the rising sun, and general configuration). However it has the colors of the UCR and yellow wreaths of wheat instead of the laurel branches of National Coat of Arms. Finally the hammer stands for work, and the feather for education.
Francisco Gregoric, 09 Nov 2005

Non official flag with portrait

[ [UCR flag with portrait of Raul Alfonsin] ](../images/a/ar}alfns.gif)
by Eugene Ipavec, 13 Dec 2010

Flag depicting the face of former Argentina's President Raul Alfonsin [(1983-1989) who was a UCR member].
Eugene Ipavec, 13 Dec 2010

Flag used by the Radical Youth

[ [Flag used by the Juventud Radical (Radical Youth)] ](../images/a/ar}jr.gif)
by Francisco Gregoric, 8 Sep 2006

The Juventud Radical (Radical Youth) is the movement for young people inside the UCR.

They use as a symbol the hammer and feather taken from the radical emblem.

The Juventud Radical usually raises the radical flag with texts added and/or the hammer and feather.

In the website of this youth movement, some pictures of a flag can be seen. The flag is the common UCR flag, with the emblem of the Juventud Radical and the words with the name of the group below. Finally the words "Comit� Nacional" (National Committee) appear below, as this group is part of the national conduction of the party.
Francisco Gregoric, 08 Sep 2006

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