Flag of the Deutsche Volksverein für Freiheit und Recht

The Deutsche Volksverein für Freiheit und Recht (The German Folk Society for Freedom and Rights) created this flag during the 1848 Revolution. It represented their commitment to its ideals and the role of the populace in the struggle for political rights. The crossed swords and Iron Cross in the centre hearkened back to the Napoleonic Wars, in which Germany fought for liberation and sought unity and nationhood. The Iron Cross later came to be associated with militarism and was adopted by the Nazis, but it did not have such connotations in the mid-nineteenth century.

After the failure of the 1848 Revolution, the society was abolished. It was not until 1898 that the flag came back into use, when it was adopted by the Vorwärts (Forwards) workers' society. Fifty years later and under very different circumstances, the flag continued to symbolise political participation and representation. The sentiment of the Revolution had a long and strong influence on German politics.