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Black, red and gold have
been associated with Germany since the middle ages; however, the
current flag colours are linked to volunteers fighting for Germany in
the Napoleonic wars, early in the 19th century.
The colours are
based on their uniforms, which consisted of black coats with red
braid, featuring gold buttons.
Student organisations
wishing to see a unified German state then adopted the colours as a
basis for a flag. As the movement gained support the colours came to
be associated with German unification.
In the first attempt to
create a unified Germany, leaders of the 1848 German Revolution
adopted the black-red-gold flag in the Parliament. The flag had a brief
existence before it was replaced.
It wasn't until 1919, after the First World War,
when it was again adopted. It lasted until 1933, when Germany's other
tricolour of red, white and black was reinstated.
Following defeat in the
Second World War, Germany was divided into two separate states, the
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Democratic Republic
of Germany (East Germany). In 1949, both adopted the black-red-gold
horizontal striped design as the basis of their flags.
East and West Germany were
re-united on the 3rd of October 1990 as a unified state, called the
Federal Republic of Germany and adopted the horizontal striped
black-red-gold flag as their national symbol.
The current flag design
dates from the 23rd of May 1949.
Germany also has a state flag, which features the national coat of arms placed in the centre of the flag, slightly overlapping the black and orange stripes.
The current state flag was adopted on the 7th of June 1950. |
