Why did the German Kaiserreich use a tricolour?

by FlyingRainbowLlama

As far as I am aware, the tricolour represents republicanism and democracy.

malefiz123

No. The tricolour is the flag of france, which is a symbol of the people, yes. But the Kaiserreichs tricolour just joins the colours of Prussia (Black and White) with the colours of the cities of the Hanse (red and White), because it has it's origins in the flag of the Norddeutscher Bund, which mainly consisted of Prussia and the free cities of the Hanse