Page 4 - GC July-Aug 2022

Nations and Flags – the story behind these national symbols

by Martin Ederer
lag Day and Independence Day
Fcelebrations in the United
States provide a good occasion to
explore what national flags mean.
They are obviously important sym-
bols, so much so that any attempts
to demean or desecrate them gener-
ate anger, controversy, and in some The flags of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein.
countries prison time. We simply problem of gunpowder smoke that Revolutions to expel rulers co) or horizontal (Hungary, Nether- I, and also the flags of both West
assume that flags have always ex-
made it all too easy to fire at one’s and establish republics lands and Germany). That’s not to Germany and East Germany (the
isted as national symbols. As usual, own forces by mistake. While say that all tricolors were necessari- latter with the added communist
the story is a bit more complicated. made tricolor flags popular
Americans like to make fun of the ly anti-monarchy. The old German insignia in the center) after World
The earliest use of flags in most – and eventually ubiquitous.
British with their red uniforms dur- imperial flag (black – white – red) War II.
places was military. In the Middle
ing the Revolutionary War, the col- was a tricolor flag. The Swiss flag with its cross
Ages, flags usually bore the colors
or choice actually made some That brings us to current nation- has medieval origins. Liechtenstein
and insignias of various units the famous Union Jack, which went
sense. Imagine the possibility of al flags of the German-speaking is a horizontal bicolor with an in-
and/or their rulers and/or their com-
shooting the wrong guys if one side on to become the flag of all Great world. Only Germany has a tricolor signia.
manders. They served as identifiers Britain. It combined the crosses of
had blue uniforms and the other flag. Its horizontal black-red-yel- Austria has a bicolor flag – but
for troop movements on the battle-
had green uniforms and thick England, Scotland and Ireland. low colors were based on resistance with a layout of three panels – and
field. Consider as well that before For a long time only officially
smoke was everywhere. The smoke movements to fight Napoleon’s with a legend attached to it. The
the gradual consolidation of mod-
issue only started to subside with authorized parties were allowed to dominance over central Europe af- red-white-red dates to Duke Leo-
ern nation states under single mon- fly flags. This owed, at least in
the advent of smokeless powder in ter 1806 and therefore became the pold V’s crusading in the Third
archs in the 1700s how many
the late 19th century. part, to the fact that flags represent- symbol of German nationalist Crusade. After the Siege of Acre in
different flags might have been on Flags also became important for ed the ruling family more than they movements. 1191, Leopold removed his belt
the battlefield.
identifying ships in naval opera- represented the state. After Napoleon’s final exile in from his blood-besotted white coat,
Another good reason for flags tions. The British Navy pioneered Revolutions to expel rulers and 1815, however, these colors were revealing a white stripe.
in battle (after the 1400s) was the establish republics made tricolor very unwelcome to the kings of These became Austria’s colors
flags popular – and eventually Prussia who didn’t want to have until Napoleon dismembered the
ubiquitous. The Dutch Republic their power limited by liberal con- Holy Roman Empire in 1805. The
was the first to establish a simple stitutions advocated by nationalists. new flag of the Austrian Empire
three-color flag divided evenly into Austria, loath to encourage any that replaced the Holy Roman Em-
horizontal thirds as they declared kind of nationalism which would pire was a simple black and yellow
their independence from the Span- only destroy its multiethnic state, horizontal bicolor. The old medi-
ish Habsburgs. The most famous was similarly hostile. eval Austrian colors re-emerged
(vertical) tricolor, of course, was The black-red-yellow tricolor (briefly) after World War I until
the flag adopted by the French became the new national flag of 1938 and then again after World
Revolution. Weimar Germany after World War War II.
Tricolor flags had a double ap-
peal. First, they were purposely
simple in order to show that the
revolutionaries and their new re-
publics were done with the nobility
and their ornate flags. Second, they
were easy to make under fire. Only Since 1970 the Buffalo Standard Printing Booster Club
bicolors – or white surrender flags has raised funds to support our family of publications. Donors
to the Press Fund will be thanked in the last issue of the year, unless
– were easier to make.
Here is where we need to pause otherwise instructed by the donor.
to consider how the 13 American MAIL TO: Buffalo Standard Printing Press Fund
colonies ever won their revolution 3620 Harlem Road, Cheektowaga, NY 14215
with all those complicated stars and I want to make sure the German Citizen continues its service
stripes.
Tricolor flags can be vertical To the German-American Community.
(France – Belgium – Italy – Mexi- Enclosed is my contribution of $ _____
Name:__________________________________________
Address_________________________________________
City, State, Zip___________________________________
Please { } Include
{ }do not include my name in your