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German for Imperial or National Eagle. Used since the Holy Roman Empire as a symbol of the German State, adopted by the German Empire as the National Emblem. Its use as the National Emblem continued under the Wiemar Republic and Nazi Germany. During the reign of the Nazis, it was changed to the stylized eagle clutching a wreathed swastika most commonly associated with the term. A black heraldic style eagle was used by the German Empire and Wiemar Republic, and re-adopted by the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal German Republic) as the Bundesadler, Federal Eagle, because of the Nazi associations of Reichsadler. A two headed version was used by the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, and single headed version resembling the German version by Austria since 1919.
'Despite its medieval origin, the term "Reichsadler" in common English understanding is mostly associated with this specific Nazi era version. The Nazi Party had used a very similar symbol for itself, called the Parteiadler ("Party's eagle"). These two insignia can be distinguished as the Reichsadler looks to its right shoulder [the viewer's left] whereas the Parteiadler looks to its left shoulder [the viewer's right].' [1]
See also
Links
- [1] Wikipedia Page