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Through military victory, Prussia under Bismarck's influence had overcome Austria's active resistance to the idea of a unified Germany. The states south of the Main River (Baden, Württemberg, and Bavaria) signed separate treaties requiring them to pay indemnities and to form alliances bringing them into Prussia's sphere of influence. [88]
German unity as fiasco with each state viewing itself separate. Cartoon from Münchner Leuchtkugeln, 1848. Caption reads: "German Unity. A Tragedy in one Act." The "German question" was a debate in the 19th century, especially during the Revolutions of 1848, over the best way to achieve a unification of all or most lands inhabited by Germans.
The origins of the rise of Bavarian nationalism as a strong political movement were in the Austro-Prussian War and its aftermath. [6] Bavaria was politically and culturally closer to Catholic Austria than Protestant Prussia, and the Bavarians shared with the Austrians a common contempt towards the Prussians, which led Bavaria to ally with Austria in the war. [6]
Bavaria protested Prussian dominance over Germany and snubbed the Prussian-born German Emperor, Wilhelm II, in 1900, by forbidding the flying of any other flag other than the Bavarian flag on public buildings for the emperor's birthday, but this was swiftly modified afterwards, allowing the German imperial flag to be hung beside the Bavarian flag.
At the time of the Erfurt Union in 1849/1850 it already looked like the Kingdom of Prussia could only unite the north of Germany. The large kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg, as well as Saxony, which finally had to join the North German Confederation after 1866 as a result of its defeat on the side of Austria, vehemently rejected the attempt at unification under Prussian leadership.
The territorial evolution of Germany in this article include all changes in the modern territory of Germany from its unification making it a country on 1 January 1871 to the present although the history of "Germany" as a territorial polity concept and the history of the ethnic Germans are much longer and much more complex.
By 1900, Germany was the dominant power on the European continent and its rapidly expanding industry had surpassed Britain's while provoking it in a naval arms race. Germany led the Central Powers in World War I, but was defeated, partly occupied, forced to pay war reparations, and stripped of its colonies and significant territory along its ...
The German Confederation was also led by Austria from 1815 to 1866. In 1866 Austria was firstly separated from Germany and German Confederation was dissolved. In 1867, the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire was established and led by Austria; it was rivaled by the North German Confederation from 1866 to 1871 and German Empire led by the Kingdom of Prussia rivaled Austria.