Last modified: 2012-12-08 by pete loeser
Keywords: german community | deutsche gemeinschaft | dg | leaf: oak |
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![[German Community 1949-1965 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_dg.gif)
Image by Jaume Ollé
The German Community Party oak leaf emblem was approved at its foundation in December of 1949. The combination of colors was meant as an anti-schwarz-rot-gold (black-red-gold) statement. The party flag was distributed free of charge to get readers for its party-magazine, called simply "The Party" (Deutsche Gemeinschaft).
Jarig Bakker, 14 July 2000
The DG was a small nationalist neutralist party, founded in 1949. Its only success in elections was together with the refugees' party (BHE) in Bavaria in 1950, when the BHE-DG list gained 12.3% and 26 seats in the Landtag (6 of which for the DG). The DG merged with the DFP and other groups in 1965 to form the AUD (Aktionsgemeinschaft Unabhängiger Deutscher, Action Association of Independent Germans).
The DG adopted a party symbol and flag at the time of its foundation in 1949. The symbol is an oak leaf divided vertically white-red, on a black field. This was also used as a flag and a banner. The banner variant is depicted in Rabbow 1965. The colours should not - at least not officially - allude to the old black-white-red colours, but the black alludes to the Geuzen, Dutch patriots of the 16th century. Furthermore the black should show 'Germany's distress'. The divided oak leaf represents the (then) divided Germany, the red half standing for the Communist GDR.
Sources: Rabbow 1965 and Rabbow 1970.
Marcus Schmöger, 10 September 2001
The oak leaf is frequently considered as a German national symbol, as the oak is commonly conceived as the German national tree. These two parties (DG and BdD) used the oak leaf to symbolize their nationalistic attitude. The oak leaf was also used as a symbol by the NDPD, the party in the German Democratic Republic that was established to attract nationalistic people (old Wehrmacht officers and old Nazis). Finally, these parties are not using these symbolism anymore, as the parties do not exist anymore. I am not aware of any recent German party using oak leaves as its main symbol. Only the right extremist NPD uses oak leaves in the wreath around its symbol.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001
![[German Community 1949-1965, vertical flag (Germany)]](../images/d/de}dg_v.gif)
Image by Jaume Ollé and Marcus Schmöger