Western use of the swastika in the early 20th century
So imagine you are drawing a really nice picture and you make a shape that looks like a square with its corners bent. That shape is called a swastika.
A long time ago, before you were born, people in a country called India used the swastika as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. It was a really important symbol in their culture and they used it a lot.
Later, in the early 20th century, some people in Western countries like Germany and the United States saw the swastika and thought it looked cool. They thought it would be a good symbol to represent their groups, clubs, and organizations.
But unfortunately, some people in Germany also started to use the swastika as a symbol of hate and intolerance. They used it to represent their group called the Nazis, who wanted to hurt and kill people who were different from them.
The Nazis started to do terrible things and ended up causing a big war that hurt a lot of people. After the war, many people in Western countries understood that the swastika could not be used as a symbol anymore.
Today, most people know that the swastika is not a good symbol to use because it reminds us of a time when people were very mean to each other. That's why we don't see it very often in Western countries anymore.
A long time ago, before you were born, people in a country called India used the swastika as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. It was a really important symbol in their culture and they used it a lot.
Later, in the early 20th century, some people in Western countries like Germany and the United States saw the swastika and thought it looked cool. They thought it would be a good symbol to represent their groups, clubs, and organizations.
But unfortunately, some people in Germany also started to use the swastika as a symbol of hate and intolerance. They used it to represent their group called the Nazis, who wanted to hurt and kill people who were different from them.
The Nazis started to do terrible things and ended up causing a big war that hurt a lot of people. After the war, many people in Western countries understood that the swastika could not be used as a symbol anymore.
Today, most people know that the swastika is not a good symbol to use because it reminds us of a time when people were very mean to each other. That's why we don't see it very often in Western countries anymore.