In conclusion - the Austro-Prussian war is often underrated simply …show more content…
Then a very different Germany would have evolved. Without Wilhelm II at the forefront, a Prussian modelled Germany would never have existed. German nationalism would arguably have received a setback as Austria, a country of several different nationalities – would have been unable to adopt a policy of nationalism. Doubtless, a loose confederation in Germany would have followed, but with Prussia as only a minor power. The 1870 battle with France could have been avoided and Franco-German relations would have stayed intact (avoiding fifty years of hatred). Prussia and Britain had numerous imperial rivalries due to both having the desire for complete continental power. If Austria had dominated Germany, Britain would have been less aggressive, because Austria would have been perceived to be less of a threat in Europe. World Wars I and II would not have happened; and without the traumas of World War I the communist autocracy in Russia who not have bowed down under a collectivist regime.
A final point worth noting is that Bismarck might have lost office (if Austria had won); and he would not then have been viewed as the greatest political figure of the 19th Century bar