Woman's metal hatpin topped with green enamelled swastika.

Woman's metal hatpin topped with green enamelled swastika. Prior to the 20th century the swastika had positive connotations, the modern name for the icon, derived from the Sanskrit svastika, means “conducive to well-being.” It is a symbol that has been used by cultures around the world for myriad different purposes throughout history: as a symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism; as a stylized cross in Christianity; in ancient Asiatic culture as a pattern in art; in Greek currency; in Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture; and on Iron Age artefacts.
In modern times it has become a powerful symbol for Nazism. Adolf Hitler adopted the swastika as the symbol of his party in 1920, since that point the swastika has become associated with genocide and