Focusing on the rise of nationalism and the causes of political ascendancy, this important new survey charts the Austro-Prussian relationship and its impact on Germany. Was Prussia's victory inevitable, or was it an accident? Breuilly weighs up the evidence and shows how the different approaches reflect above all shifts of interest within historical study. Appropriate as introductory text for 1st and 2nd year undergraduates of Nineteenth Century Europe, German History and History of Nationalism.