Germany's Unification: It Wasn't Just Two Countries—It Was Prussia Leading 39 States

The premise is wrong: Germany wasn't formed by two countries joining. It was forged by Prussia (under Bismarck) absorbing or aligning 39 German Confederation states through three wars (1864–1871).

The Real Sequence

1. 1864 – Second Schleswig War: Prussia + Austria vs. Denmark → Schleswig-Holstein seized.
2. 1866 – Austro-Prussian War (Seven Weeks' War): Prussia crushes Austria. Austria excluded from Germany. North German Confederation formed (22 states north of Main) under Prussian presidency.
3. 1870–71 – Franco-Prussian War: Southern states (Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt) join North German Confederation in war against France. Victory at Sedan.
4. Jan 18, 1871: German Empire proclaimed in Hall of Mirrors, Versailles. Wilhelm I = Kaiser. Bismarck = Chancellor.

Prussia ≠ Germany (But Dominated It)

• Prussia = 60% of territory, 60% of population, king = emperor, PM = chancellor.
• Bavaria, Württemberg, Saxony, etc. kept kings, armies (peacetime), postal systems, railways — but foreign policy, military command, customs = Berlin.
• Austria deliberately excluded (Kleindeutschland solution).

Why "Prussia + Austria" Is a Myth

Austria was the rival, not a partner. The 1866 war settled: Germany = Prussian-led, without Austria. The 1871 empire was a federal monarchy, not a merger of two equals.

So: One state (Prussia) engineered a federation of 25 states (1871) through war, diplomacy, and railway timetables. Not a marriage— a conquest.