Black, red and gold in three equal horizontal stripes are the colors of the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany. The colors date to the emperors of the Middle Ages. They reappeared in the war against Napoleon when a corps of army volunteers drawn from all the German principalities adopted black uniforms with red braid and gold buttons.

Subsequently, student organizations, dedicated to the unification of Germany, used the colors on their banners. In the first attempt to create a democratic and unified Germany, leaders of the 1848 Revolution adopted the tricolor flag in the National Assembly or Frankfurt Parliament.

When in 1919, the German Empire was overthrown and new republican symbols were adopted, it was clear that also the Postal flag had to be changed. The former imperial postal flag not only consisted of black-white-red stripes, but also contained a post horn with a cord and tassels of black-white-red strands, and it used the Imperial crown, which topped the post horn.

This was the Reichskriegsflagge adopted in 1919. It was never used, although samples were produced, because the old Imperial War Ensign of 1888 remained in use throughout this time period.

This design was used as the German flag by non-military official authorities and organizations. The black-red-gold is historically associated with "liberal" nationalism in Germany.

This was the flag normally used by all German Government Ships smaller than a warship at sea between 1921-1926. This flag was known as the Dienstflagge der übrigen Reichsbehörden zur See (Service flag on sea). It was replace with a new design in 1916 that featured the Weimar tricolor in the Canton.

Since the leadership of the German Navy did not accept the new republican Reichskriegsflagge adopted in 1919 and refused to hoist the new version and insisted upon using the old Imperial War Flag of the German Empire, on January 1, 1922, this entirely new design replaced the War Flag of the German Empire.

The Reichspräsident (Reich President) was the German head of state during the period of the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic. The first Reichspräsident was Friedrich Ebert who held the position from 1919 to 1925, followed by Paul von Hindenburg, who died in 1934. Contrary to the present Bundespräsident of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Weimar Reichspräsident posessed a lot of political power. For example, he appointed the Government: The Reichskanzler (Reich Chancellor) and his cabinet were appointed and dismissed by the Reichspräsident. Moreover, he could dissolve the parliament and was Commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The first insignia for the Reichspräsident was adopted in September of 1919 and was a rectangular shaped flag in the National colors Black-Red-Gold. In the center of the flag there appeared the Reichsadler (Reich eagle), laid down on a gold (yellow) colored, rectangular field, which had a small white border. Soon it became clear that this model was not at all satisfactory, because it looked rather like a national (state) flag. Thus in 1921 it was decided that the Reichspräsident was to be equipped with a square standard. On a yellow, red bordered square there was displayed a new designed Reichsadler. It is interesting to note that this standard virtually was identical to the present standard of the Bundespräsident of Germany. Regulations of 1926 introduced an alternative version of the standard. Apart from a slightly different shape of the eagle the main difference was an added sixth feather at each wing of the eagle. Contemporary pictures indicate that both, the five, as well as the six-feather version was used from 1926 to 1933, when the border of the standard was changed to black-white-red colors.

The Weimar Naval jack was adopted in September of 1919, however, owing to the flag conflict as to the "true" German colors, the jack wasn't actually used until January of 1922. Up to that point the former imperial naval jack, which displayed no black-red-gold canton, was in use. This jack (Gösch) was in use on German Naval ships until 1933.

The Reichswehrminister (Defense Minister) was in times of peace the Commander-in-chief of the German Reichswehr. The Weimar Republic deliberately avoided the title "War minister."

The was actually the second variant of the War Minister's flag and adopted in 1921. It was similar to the first version adopted in 1919, but the proportions were changed from 3:5 to 2:3 and the Iron Cross was made thicker.

This was the flag used by all German Government Ships smaller than a warship at sea between 1926-1933. This flag was also known as the Dienstflagge der übrigen Reichsbehörden zur See (Service flag on sea). It's use was abolished on March 31, 1933, by Adolf Hitler's government.

Limited by the Treaty of Versailles to a total of 100,000 men, the Reichswehr was a unified originization composed of the Reichsheer (Reich army) and Reichsmarine (Reich navy). The Reichsheer consisted of two group commands with seven infantry and three cavalry divisions, all in all. According to the Weimar constitution the Commander-in-chief of the Reichswehr was the Reich President, while in times of peace the Reichswehrminister (Reich Defense minister) took over the command.

An interesting flag in the Weimar Republic was the so-called "Reichsbanner" (Reich banner). It showed the national colors in a vertical position. On the top of the colors there was the "Reichsadler" (Reich eagle) on a yellow background, displayed in a special design.

Another flag of the period that used the Reich Eagle was that of the "Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold," a Social Democratic paramilitary force set up in the Weimar Republic in 1924. In February of that year, members of the SPD, the German Centre Party, the German Democratic Party and trade unionists in Magdeburg established what was basically their own private security army. Because Right wing and nationalist armed groups, like the Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet) or the SA, as well as the Communist Red Front Fighters had continued to radicalize and intensify the political struggle in the Weimar Republic, the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold saw its main task as the defense of the Weimar Republic against enemies from the National Socialist, monarchist and Communist camps.

The German Imperial Tricolor flag was briefly reintroduced between 1933-1935 and used jointly with the Nazi Swastika Flag, then abolished in 1935 to try and prevent it being used by reactionary groups.

This was the flag used by all German warships between 1933-1935. It was replaced by the swastika type Naval Flag in 1935

In March and April of 1933, a couple "new/old" Reichsdienstflagge (Service flags) designs (which used imperial colors) were approved for use: one used at sea by military ships, and one on land and sea as substitute for the civilian Service Flag which used the Weimar colors.