You might be tempted to say the colors are Schwarz Rot Gelb but it's actually Gold at the bottom. This might be one of the questions in your naturalization quiz that you need to pass for your Einbürgerung and you can maybe impress a German or two with this kind of useless knowledge. The majority of Germans (99%) will not know this story, not even the Neo-Nazis as they are hoisting another flag: Die Reichsflagge. But about that one in the next lesson. Do you know the origins of your nation's flag?

Video Summary

• The German national flag consists of black, red, and gold colors.
• Article 22 of the Grundgesetz (Basic Law) defines the national flag as black-red-gold.
• The black-red-gold color combination first appeared as a political statement in 1815.
• The initial usage of these colors was by a student association called the Burschenschaft.
• These students aimed to unify Germany and establish it as a nation-state.
• In 1817, participants at the Wartburg Festival wore black-red-gold buttons as identification.
• These colors symbolized unity, justice, and freedom for a united Germany.
• During the 1848 Revolution, German rulers adopted these colors to appease the uprising citizens.
• The Weimar Republic reinstated black-red-gold as the colors of the German flag.
• After World War II, both West Germany and East Germany used these colors, with the East German flag adding a hammer and compass.