▁states ▁and ▁character ized ▁by ▁commun ist ▁symbol ism . ▁Although ▁commonly ▁called ▁co ats ▁of ▁arms , ▁most ▁such ▁devices ▁are ▁not ▁actually ▁co ats ▁of ▁arms ▁in ▁the ▁traditional ▁her ald ic ▁sense ▁and ▁should ▁therefore , ▁in ▁a ▁strict ▁sense , ▁not ▁be ▁called ▁arms ▁at ▁all . ▁Many ▁commun ist ▁govern ments ▁pur pos ely ▁diver ged ▁from ▁the ▁traditional ▁forms ▁of ▁European ▁her ald ry ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁distance ▁themselves ▁from ▁the ▁monarch ies ▁that ▁they ▁usually ▁replaced , ▁with ▁actual ▁co ats ▁of ▁arms ▁being ▁seen ▁as ▁symbols ▁of ▁the ▁monarch s . ▁ ▁The ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁state ▁to ▁use ▁social ist ▁her ald ry , ▁beginning ▁at ▁its ▁creation ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 2 . ▁The ▁style ▁became ▁more ▁w ides p read ▁after ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁when ▁many ▁other ▁commun ist ▁states ▁were ▁established . ▁Even ▁a ▁few ▁non - social ist ▁states ▁have ▁adopted ▁the ▁style , ▁for ▁various ▁reasons — us ually ▁because ▁commun ists ▁had ▁helped ▁them ▁to ▁gain ▁independence — but ▁also ▁when ▁no ▁apparent ▁connection ▁to ▁a ▁Commun ist ▁nation ▁exists , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁em blem ▁of ▁Italy . ▁After ▁the ▁fall ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁and ▁the ▁other ▁commun ist ▁states ▁in ▁Eastern ▁Europe ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 9 – 1 9 9 1 , ▁this ▁style ▁of ▁her ald ry ▁was ▁often ▁abandoned ▁for ▁the ▁old ▁her ald ic ▁practices , ▁with ▁many ▁( but ▁not ▁all ) ▁of ▁the ▁new