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| 1863, May 23 |
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| The General German Workers' Association (ADAV) was established under Lasalle. This association was torn between socialism and democracy as its driving forces, and Lasalle soon came into conflict with two other leading socialists, Bebel and Liebknecht. The latter became the leaders in the formation of the Marxist Social Democratic Party. | 1 |
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| 1864, Jan. 16 |
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| Austria and Prussia presented Copenhagen with an ultimatum after agreeing to assist each other in the war with Denmark (See 1863) over Schleswig-Holstein. (Denmark had announced virtual annexation of the provinces.) The ultimatum demanded the cancellation of the newly enacted Danish constitution because it included control of Schleswig-Holstein (See 1863, Aug). The quickly successful war with Denmark, which followed, resulted in Schleswig-Holstein being ceded to Austria and Prussia. | 2 |
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| 1865, Aug. 4 |
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| The convention of Gastein gave administration of Holstein to Austria, a maneuver by Bismarck to raise new issues with Austria (See June 26). | 3 |
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| 1866 |
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| Austro-Prussian (Seven Weeks') War (See June 26). Prussian troops moved from Schleswig into Holstein (June 9). (On April 8, Prussia allied itself with Italy to join in the anticipated war.) The move was calculated to force hostilities to begin between Austria and Prussia, but the occupying Austrian forces managed to withdraw from Holstein without a battle. Austria made a motion at the Diet of Frankfurt for the mobilization of all non-Prussian armed forces, which was modified to read all non-Prussian and non-Austrian forces by the Bavarian minister. The Bavarian motion passed (June 14, 1866). The Prussian minister declared the Federal Act broken, and war between the South German states and Prussia began; Prussia was victorious. Prussia turned its forces, under the direction of Helmuth von Moltke, to Austria. Moltke won the decisive Battle at Sadowa (July 3). Successful tactics of the new Prussian army included use of railroads for rapid troop deployment and breech-loading guns. | 4 |
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| July 26 |
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| The Peace of Nicolsburg established the North German Confederation and secured for the south the right to form a southern federation. It also united Prussia by annexing the states formed between the east and the west at the Congress of Vienna (See Sept. 15–1815, June 9). | 5 |
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