<P> Victory in the Franco - Prussian War proved the capstone of the nationalist issue . In the first half of the 1860s , Austria and Prussia both contended to speak for the German states ; both maintained they could support German interests abroad and protect German interests at home . In responding to the Schleswig - Holstein Question , they both proved equally diligent in doing so . After the victory over Austria in 1866 , Prussia began internally asserting its authority to speak for the German states and defend German interests , while Austria began directing more and more of its attention to possessions in the Balkans . The victory over France in 1871 expanded Prussian hegemony in the German states ( aside from Austria ) to the international level . With the proclamation of Wilhelm as Kaiser , Prussia assumed the leadership of the new empire . The southern states became officially incorporated into a unified Germany at the Treaty of Versailles of 1871 ( signed 26 February 1871 ; later ratified in the Treaty of Frankfurt of 10 May 1871 ) , which formally ended the war . Although Bismarck had led the transformation of Germany from a loose confederation into a federal nation state , he had not done it alone . Unification was achieved by building on a tradition of legal collaboration under the Holy Roman Empire and economic collaboration through the Zollverein . The difficulties of the Vormärz , the impact of the 1848 liberals , the importance of von Roon 's military reorganization , and von Moltke 's strategic brilliance all played a part in political unification . </P>
<P> Victory in the Franco - Prussian War proved the capstone of the nationalist issue . In the first half of the 1860s , Austria and Prussia both contended to speak for the German states ; both maintained they could support German interests abroad and protect German interests at home . In responding to the Schleswig - Holstein Question , they both proved equally diligent in doing so . After the victory over Austria in 1866 , Prussia began internally asserting its authority to speak for the German states and defend German interests , while Austria began directing more and more of its attention to possessions in the Balkans . The victory over France in 1871 expanded Prussian hegemony in the German states ( aside from Austria ) to the international level . With the proclamation of Wilhelm as Kaiser , Prussia assumed the leadership of the new empire . The southern states became officially incorporated into a unified Germany at the Treaty of Versailles of 1871 ( signed 26 February 1871 ; later ratified in the Treaty of Frankfurt of 10 May 1871 ) , which formally ended the war . Although Bismarck had led the transformation of Germany from a loose confederation into a federal nation state , he had not done it alone . Unification was achieved by building on a tradition of legal collaboration under the Holy Roman Empire and economic collaboration through the Zollverein . The difficulties of the Vormärz , the impact of the 1848 liberals , the importance of von Roon 's military reorganization , and von Moltke 's strategic brilliance all played a part in political unification . </P>
who is credited with creating germany and in what year
who is credited with creating germany and in what year
Bismarck
Bismarck