Greater German Solution

The Austrians won the battle of Gitschin during the Austro-Prussian war in 1866. As a result of this, their forces won several other key battles and soon had completely defeated the Prussians. This solidified control over German-speaking areas by the Austrians. Three years later, they united all German states into the German Empire. They quickly expanded into other areas, creating a very powerful empire in Central Europe. This worried other nations.

These other nations absorbed smaller states to create new empires that could defend if the Germans attacked. A history was created in which the twentieth century was dominated by large multinational empires.