Concerning the choice of the symbol in question, on the Nazi Flag... Why not just get the truth straight from the HORSE's Mouth, meaning passages in Mein Kampf: "The question of the new flag, i.e. of its appearance, occupied our minds a great deal at that time. Proposals came from all sides, though they were mostly more well-intended than acceptable. For the new flag had both to be a symbol of our own battle and to have a striking poster-like effect. Anyone who has had to concern himself much with the masses will realize that these apparent trifles are actually very important matters. An effective badge may give the first impulse toward an interest in a movement in hundreds of thousands of cases. For this reason we had to decline the suggestion of a white flag, made in many quarters, which would have identified our movement with the old State, or rather with those feeble parties whose sole political aim is the restoration of vanished conditions. Besides, white is not a compelling color. It is suitable for chaste societies of maidens, but not for insurgent movements in a revolutionary age. Black was also proposed. In itself it was fitting for the present day, but there was almost no way of deducing from it any suggestion of our movement’s intent. And finally this color is not compelling enough either. Blue and white was out of the question, despite its wonderful aesthetic effect, as the color of one German State [Bavaria] and of a political attitude of narrow particularism whose reputation unfortunately was not of the best. Here too, furthermore, it would have been hard to find any indication of our movement. The same was true of black and white. Black, red and gold was out of the question in itself. So was black-white-red, for reasons which have been mentioned—at least in the accustomed form. In effectiveness, however, this color combination stands far above all others. It is the most radiant harmony there is. I myself always retaining the old colors, not only because they are the most sacred thing to me as a soldier, but because their artistic effect appeals far more than any other to my aesthetic sense. Nevertheless I had to decline without exception all the countless sketches that came in from the members of the young movement, most of them incorporating the swastika into the old flag. I myself, as Leader, did not want to appear immediately before the public with my own design, since it was quite possible that someone else might produce one equally good, perhaps even better. And in fact a dentist from Starnberg brought in a design that was not at all bad; it was a good deal like mine, but had the one fault that the swastika was fitted into a white circle by means of curved ends. Meanwhile I myself, after endless attempts, had laid down a final form: a flag with a red ground, bearing a white disk with a black swastika in its center. After many experiments I also established a definite relation between the size of the flag and the size of the white disk, as well as the shape and weight of the swastika." https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/mein-kampf-by-adolf-hitler-ralph-manheim-translation/Mein%20Kampf%20by%20Adolf%20Hitler%20-%20Ralph%20Manheim%20Translation.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email This is the Manheim translation, and link to it. We read Mein Kamph in HS, of course, but I forgot all but that Hitler was descended from a long line of paperhangers, some having only one arm.
