Nazi Germany

The flag of Nazi Germany was a red flag with a white disc featuring a right-facing tilted swastika.

History

Originally the party flag of the Nazi Party, the swastika flag became the national flag of Germany after the Nazi's seized power in Germany in 1933, a position it initially had to share with the black-white-red flag of the former German Empire. This arrangement ended in 1935, when Hitler banned usage of the Bismarck-tricolour, labelling it as "reactionary", and made his party flag the sole national flag.

Symbolism

The Nazi flag takes its colours of the Bismarck-tricolour, nevertheless Hitler added new symbolism to the colours, stating that white

stood for nationalism, red for socialism and the newly added swastika for the "Aryan race"^[6]. The fact that red is the dominant colour of the flag can be explained by the fact that Hitler desired a flag that could match the flaming red flag of the communists in marches and rallies.^[7]. The swastika was probably taken from the symbology of Thule-Gesellschaft, a Munich based anti-Semitic nationalist occultist group to which the early Nazi party had close bonds^[8].

Swastika

Before it became predominantly known as a symbol of Nazism during the World War Two era, the swastika was a symbol much used around the world for various purposes, it's even known to have adorned early synagogues as decorative pattern^[9]It first showed up in Sumeria in 3000 BC. Its name derives from the Sanskrit words su (good) and asti (being). The swastika was mostly associated with the sun and power, life strength and cyclic regeneration, but was also often used to represent a supreme deity^[10].

Personal Standard

Hitler's personal flag sported the white disk with the swastika on it contained in a golden wreath. In each corner, this square flag had a golden bird holding a golden swastika.