The Order of the Red Banner of Labor was established as a peaceful counterpart of the Order of the Red Banner to distinguish between labor accomplishments and military ones. It belonged to the general civil Soviet orders, awarded for achievements in industry. This RSFSR order was established on December 28, 1920, and its variations also existed in some republics of the union.
Eight years later, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor acquired the All-Union status and was granted in all republics of the USSR. Its statute was also approved and listed citizens of the USSR, enterprises, institutions, organizations of union and autonomous republics, as well as citizens, enterprises, institutions, and organizations of foreign countries as potential recipients of this order for outstanding accomplishments in labor.
Throughout the existence of the order, there were three types of it — the models of 1928, 1936, and 1943 — with minor differences in design, method of securing, and size.
Initially, the order was secured to clothing with a threaded screw and nut arrangement. In the summer of 1943, people started to wear the award using a pin. The ring of the order went through the suspension loop to a pentagonal mount covered by a blue silk moiré ribbon with two dark blue edge stripes.
The first recipient of the order was a peasant named Nikita Minchukov — with his bare hands, he dismantled an ice jam near the Chigirin bridge, which had strategic importance, and saved the bridge from destruction. Mechanics of the Soviet Air Forces named Fedotov, Shelagin, and Kvyatkovsky were the first USSR individual awardees of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for their active participation in the rescue expedition: they searched for the Italia airship that had crashed near the North Pole.
The Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the USSR was also awarded to the staff of the Putilov Mill in Leningrad, Tula gunsmiths, the Lenfilm studio, and others. The award was one of the most widespread in the country, it was bestowed over 1,200,000 times.
A year before the Great Patriotic War ended, Yuri Borisovich Levitan, the famous announcer, the “voice of the Victory”, was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for his lengthy and successful career in the All-Union Radio.
The order was abolished on March 2, 1992, since it was not listed among other Soviet awards that went on to be bestowed in Russia.
Eight years later, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor acquired the All-Union status and was granted in all republics of the USSR. Its statute was also approved and listed citizens of the USSR, enterprises, institutions, organizations of union and autonomous republics, as well as citizens, enterprises, institutions, and organizations of foreign countries as potential recipients of this order for outstanding accomplishments in labor.
Throughout the existence of the order, there were three types of it — the models of 1928, 1936, and 1943 — with minor differences in design, method of securing, and size.
Initially, the order was secured to clothing with a threaded screw and nut arrangement. In the summer of 1943, people started to wear the award using a pin. The ring of the order went through the suspension loop to a pentagonal mount covered by a blue silk moiré ribbon with two dark blue edge stripes.
The first recipient of the order was a peasant named Nikita Minchukov — with his bare hands, he dismantled an ice jam near the Chigirin bridge, which had strategic importance, and saved the bridge from destruction. Mechanics of the Soviet Air Forces named Fedotov, Shelagin, and Kvyatkovsky were the first USSR individual awardees of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for their active participation in the rescue expedition: they searched for the Italia airship that had crashed near the North Pole.
The Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the USSR was also awarded to the staff of the Putilov Mill in Leningrad, Tula gunsmiths, the Lenfilm studio, and others. The award was one of the most widespread in the country, it was bestowed over 1,200,000 times.
A year before the Great Patriotic War ended, Yuri Borisovich Levitan, the famous announcer, the “voice of the Victory”, was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for his lengthy and successful career in the All-Union Radio.
The order was abolished on March 2, 1992, since it was not listed among other Soviet awards that went on to be bestowed in Russia.
