Editing East Germany (section)

=== State symbols ===
The flag of the German Democratic Republic consisted of three horizontal stripes in the traditional German-democratic colors black-red-gold; at its center was a GDR national coat of arms, consisting of a wreath of corn surrounding a hammer and compass, which symbolised the alliance of workers, peasants, and intelligentsia. The first drafts of Fritz Behrendt's coat of arms contained only a hammer and wreath of corn; the final version was mainly based on the work of Heinz Behling.

The state coat of arms and flag were set by law on 26 September 1955. Initially, the flag lacked the coat of arms; it was later added (1 October 1959).<ref>{{Cite web |title=documentArchiv.de - Gesetz zur Änderung des Gesetzes über das Staatswappen und die Staatsflagge der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (01.10.1959) |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/1959/ddr-staatswappen-staatsflagge-aender_ges.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.documentarchiv.de}}</ref> Until the end of the 1960s, the public display of this flag in the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin was regarded as a violation of the constitution and public order, and prevented by police measures. It was not until 1969 that the Federal Government decreed "that the police should no longer intervene anywhere against the use of the flag and coat of arms of the GDR."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-21 |title=East German Flag |url=https://www.youngpioneertours.com/east-german-flag |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Young Pioneer Tours |language=en}}</ref>

At the request of the DSU, the first freely elected People's Chamber of the GDR decided on 31 May 1990 that the GDR state coat of arms should be removed within a week in and on public buildings. Nevertheless, until the official end of the republic, it continued to be used in other ways, such as on documents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-11-21 |title=Coat of arms of East Germany in Berlin, Germany (Google Maps) |url=https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/coat-of-arms-of-east-germany/view/google |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Virtual Globetrotting |language=en}}</ref>

The national anthem of the GDR, "Resurrected from Ruins", had its text was written by Johannes R. Becher and its melody composed by Hanns Eisler. From the beginning of the 1970s to the end of 1989, however, the text of the anthem was no longer sung due to the passage "''Deutschland einig Vaterland''" ("Germany a united Fatherland").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Domestic Protocol Office of the Federal Government |url=https://www.protokoll-inland.de/Webs/PI/EN/topics/state-symbols/national-anthem/national-anthem.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The National Anthem of the German Democratic Republic: “Auferstanden aus Ruinen” (1949) |url=https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/occupation-and-the-emergence-of-two-states-1945-1961/the-national-anthem-of-the-german-democratic-republic-auferstanden-aus-ruinen-1949 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=German History in Documents and Images |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=National Anthem of the German Democratic Republic: “Auferstanden aus Ruinen”(1949) |url=https://germanhistory-intersections.org/en/germanness/ghis:audio-5 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=German History Intersections |language=en-us}}</ref>
{{Gallery
|align=center
|noborder=yes
|whitebg=no
|width=120
|height=120
|File:Coat of Arms of East Germany (1950–1953).svg
  |Provisional coat of arms of the GDR<br/>(12 January 1950 to 28 May 1953)
|File:Coat of arms of East Germany (1953–1955).svg
  |Provisional coat of arms of the GDR<br/>(28 May 1953 to 26 September 1955)
|File:Coat of arms of East Germany (1955–1990).svg
  |Coat of arms of the GDR<br/>(26 September 1955 to 2 October 1990)
|File:Flag_of_Germany.svg
  |Flag of the GDR<br/>(7 October 1949 to 1 October 1959)
|File:Civil Ensign of East Germany (1959–1973).svg
  |Commercial flag<br/>(1959–1973)
|File:Flag_of_East_Germany.svg
  |Flag of the GDR<br/>(1 October 1959 to 3 October 1990)
}}

==== Presidential standard ====
The first standard of the president had the shape of a rectangular flag in the colors black-red-gold with the inscription "President" in yellow in the red stripe, as well as "D.D.R." (contrary to the official abbreviation with dots) in the stripe below in black letters. The flag was surrounded by a stripe of yellow color. An original of the standard is in the German Historical Museum in Berlin.

{{Gallery
|align=center
|noborder=yes
|whitebg=no
|width=120
|height=120
|File:Flag of the President of East Germany (1951–1953).svg
  |[[President of East Germany|Presidential]] standard 1951–1953<br/>(The emblem was already introduced on 12 January 1950, the standard was adopted on 29 January 1951.)
|File:Flag of the President of East Germany (1953–1955).svg
  |Presidential standard 1953–1955<br/>(The emblem of the GDR was changed on 28 May 1953 and already resembled the final coat of arms of 1955.)
|File:Flag of the President of East Germany (1955–1960).svg
  |Standard of the president 1955–1960<br/>(The standard was maintained until 7 September 1960, when Wilhelm Pieck died and the presidency was abolished.)
|File:Flag of the Chairman of the State Council of East Germany.svg
  |Standard of the chairman of the Council of [[State Council of East Germany|State]] 1960–1990
}}

==== War and service flags and symbols ====
The flags of the military units of the GDR bore the national coat of arms with a wreath of two olive branches on a red background in the black-red-gold flag.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War Ensign and other Naval Flags 1960-1990 (East Germany) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de~ddr.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref>

The flags of the People's Navy for combat ships and boats bore the coat of arms with olive branch wreath on red, for auxiliary ships and boats on blue flag cloth with a narrow and centrally arranged black-red-gold band. As Gösch, the state flag was used in a reduced form.

The ships and boats of the Border Brigade Coast on the Baltic Sea and the boats of the border troops of the GDR on the Elbe and Oder carried a green bar on the Liekjust like the service flag of the border troops.

{{Gallery
|align=center
|noborder=yes
|whitebg=no
|height=72
|width=120
|File:Flag of NVA (East Germany).svg
  |Service flag of the [[National People's Army]]
|File:Flag of warships of VM (East Germany).svg
  |Service flag for combat ships and boats of the People's Navy
|File:Flag of auxiliary ships of VM (East Germany).svg
  |Service flag for auxiliary ships and boats of the People's Navy
|File:Flag of German post (East Germany).svg
  |[[Deutsche Post of the GDR|Deutsche Post]] (1955–1973)
  |alt4=Service flag
|File:Flag of border brigade coast (East Germany).svg
  |Service flag for ships and boats of the Border Brigade Coast
|File:Flag of boats of border troops (East Germany).svg
  |Service flag of the border troops
|File:Flagge_des_Ministeriums_für_Staatssicherheit.svg
  |Flag of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi), East Germany, until 1990
}}
{{Gallery
|align=center
|noborder=yes
|whitebg=no
|height=120
|width=120
|File:Emblem_of_the_Stasi.svg
  |Emblem of the Ministry of State Security (MfS) (Stasi) of the GDR (until 1990)
|File:Coat_of_arms_of_NVA_(East_Germany).svg
  |Coat of arms of [[National People's Army]] of the German Democratic Republic (1956–1990)
|File:Emblem_of_the_Ground_Forces_of_NVA_(East_Germany).svg
  |Emblem of the Ground Forces of [[National People's Army]] (1956–1990)
|File:Wappen Volksmarine NVA mit KM Orden.svg
  |The coat of arms of the [[Volksmarine|People's Navy]] with the [[Order of Karl Marx]] (1956–1990)
|File:Emblem of aircraft NVA (East Germany) before 1959.svg
  |Emblem of Air Force of the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic before 1959 (until 1956 the People's Police Air of the GDR)
|File:Emblem of aircraft of NVA (East Germany).svg
  |Emblem of aircraft of [[National People's Army]] of the German Democratic Republic (1959–1990)
|File:Vehicle roundel of Border Troops of GDR.svg
  |Emblem of the [[Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic|Grenztruppen]] used for vehicles (1949–1990)
|File:Volkspolizei Bereitschaft roundel.svg
  |National ensign of the GDR Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften (1962–1990)
|File:Wappen Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse.svg
  |[[Combat Groups of the Working Class]] coat of arms of the fighting groups of the working class, without oak leaves (1953–1990)
|File:Warsaw Pact Logo.svg
  |Logo of the Warsaw Treaty Organization or "[[Warsaw Pact]]" (14 May 1955)
}}

==== Political and social emblems ====
After being a member of the [[Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation|Thälmann Pioneers]], which was for schoolchildren ages 6 to 14, East German youths would usually join the [[Free German Youth]] (''Freie Deutsche Jugend''; FDJ).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pioneer Organization |url=https://global.museum-digital.org/?id=3580&t=people_to_people}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=the_wall_museum |date=2021-06-13 |title=Free German Youth |url=https://thewallmuseum.com/en/free-german-youth |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Wall Museum |language=en}}</ref>
{{Gallery
|align=center
|noborder=yes
|whitebg=no
|width=120
|height=120
|File:Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands Logo.svg
  |Emblem of the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (1950–1990)
|File:Flagge der SED.svg
  |Flag of the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (1950–1990)
|File:Freie Deutsche Jugend.svg
  |Emblem of the [[Free German Youth]]
|File:Flagge der Freie Deutsche Jugend.svg
  |Flag of the [[Free German Youth]]
|File:Pionierorganisation Ernst Thaelmann-Emblem.svg
  |[[Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation]] Emblem (13 December 1948 – August 1990)
|File:Wimpel_Junge_Pioniere.svg
  |[[Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation]] Flag (13 December 1948 – August 1990)
}}