The Austro-Prussian War or Seven Week War was the war between the Austrian Empire and Prussia to determine the fate of Schleswig and Holstein and which country was supposed to control Germany. It was also the second of the three great wars that led to the creation of Germany as a single state. It was provoked by the rivalry between Prussia and the Habsburg monarchy for supremacy in Germany. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay During the winter of 1865 to 1866, relations between Prussia and Austria had deteriorated dramatically. If there had been a war, it would have been fought not only to decide the fate of Schleswig and Holstein (Prussia had control of Schleswig and Austria had control of Holstein), but over the question of who would control Germany. The Prussian government accepted that war with Austria was inevitable. It ended with a Prussian victory, which meant the exclusion of Austria from Germany. The main result of the war was a shift of power among the German states from Austrian to Prussian hegemony, and a momentum towards the unification of all of northern Germany. states. Prussia's victory also led to the Treaty of Prague of August 1866, where Austria accepted Prussia's annexation of Schleswig and Holstein. The German Confederation was replaced by a North German Confederation comprising all German states north of the River Main in a union dominated by Prussia and Austria ceded Venetia to Italy in October 1866. The German Customs Union of Zollverein was founded in 1834 under Prussian leadership. This idea was born in 1818 when Prussia announced its opening to free trade with other states. It created a free trade area across much of Germany and is often seen as an important step towards German unification. It was a German trade union that allowed free trade in all German states. This happened because the German Confederation contributed to the unification of Germany, but the new German states also gained a sense of nationalism for their newly found countries and cultures. This helped create the Zollverein. The Zollverein was very significant because it was a German trade union that allowed free trade in all German states. This ensures that each state's resources can be shared quickly among other states. So this led to the experience of each state's culture, this developed a new sense of nationalism. The Zollverein abolished international tariffs, this led to a higher rate and greater economic growth. The Zollverein overall was a larger version of the Prussian Customs Union, which included many more German states. Born to Otto Von Bismarck “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them made.” - Otto Von BismarckBorn in Schönhausen, Germany Because his parents wanted another child. This was significant because Otto Von Bismarck was the man who did the most to unite the German states. He wanted to strengthen the position of King William I, to counter the demands for reform from the liberals in the Prussian parliament. Its main goals were: to unify the Northern German states under Prussian control, to weaken Prussia's main rival, Austria, by removing it from the Bund, to make Berlin the center of German affairs (and not Vienna), to strengthen the position of the king of Prussia, Wilhelm I, to counter the demands for reform of the liberals in the Prussian parliament (the Reichstag). A year later William became king of Prussia and.