Hero (title)

The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor.

It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.

Each hero receives a medal for public display, special privileges and rights for life, and the admiration and respect of the nation.

The title was awarded for heroic labor achievements which significantly increased production, "thereby promoting the national economy, science, culture, might, and glory of the USSR."

The third hero title was "Mother Heroine", established on 8 July 1944 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

The Soviet Union awarded the title to twelve (12) cities and one fortress for outstanding heroism during the Eastern Front (1941–1945).

Several nations with communist governments other than the Soviet Union, many part of the Warsaw Pact and the Eastern Bloc, adopted their own hero titles.