In the summer of 2015, the United States was in a state of ribald resurgence with overt displays of anti-Semitism and white supremacy in full bloom. It was then that Goldstein decided to donate her grandfather’s flag. But locating a museum willing to accept the flag proved a difficult proposition. “I knew it would be controversial,” she says, so I started to do research.” But museums tended to turn away from Nazi flags, especially ones that were signed by American soldiers. It was a frustrating endeavor, but eventually she found one.
The history of ww2 German flag begins with the liberal national movement in Germany that began in the 19th century.
The patriotic German Student Association based in Jena chose black, red and gold in the belief that it represented the colours of the old empire. It is also possible that the coloured fringes on the black uniforms of the Lutzow Free Corps from the wars of liberation may have influenced this choice.
Cool Flags That Turn Heads: Designs That Make a Statement
Under the Weimar Republic, the black-red-gold ensign became the official flag of Germany. But it failed to gain acceptance among broad sections of the domestic population, who were already deeply resentful of the loss of their previous privileges as part of the Treaty of Versailles and the resulting burden of reparations.
When Hitler came to power in 1933, he forced his party’s symbols on the nation and established the Nazi swastika flag as the national symbol. But even after 1945, when Germany was placed under Allied control, the Nazi flag was not enough to unify the country. Other flags, including the red banner of the communists and the black-red-gold of the Weimar Republic competed for allegiance.
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