Organizational Logo
YPSL's traditional symbol is the "Three Arrows," which has been interpreted differently over the course of the emblem's existence. The arrows are today meant to symbolize the three ways in which humanity works for a better society. They are:
- Education - YPSL publishes pamphlets and magazines and holds educational forum meetings
- Direct Action - YPSL engages in protests, non-violent demonstrations and engages in strike support
- Elections - Through its parent organization, the Socialist Party USA, YPSL supports candidates for public office
American use of the "Three Arrows" logo originated in the fall of 1933 with the organization of a uniformed "Socialist Vanguard" in New York City, in which about 40 squads of eight members, each squad headed by a "captain" were formed. The Vanguard wore distinctive royal blue shirts and bore a new organizational logo, which was described in the official monthly newspaper of the YPSL:
"Three arrows enclosed in a circle is the emblem of the Vanguard, borrowed from the now-destroyed Iron Front in Germany. The arrows stand for the slogan of the Young People's Socialist League: 'Organization, education, solidarity.'"
In the German context, the "Three Arrows" logo was a socialist symbol designed by Sergei Tschachotin, former assistant to the physiologist Ivan Pavlov in 1931. The circular logo was designed so as to be able to easily cover Nazi swastikas.
The three arrows originally stood for the German socialist movement's opposition to three enemies of democracy: communism, monarchism, and fascism (in Germany: Nazism).
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