Kaiser Wilhelm I changed the power structure in Europe by beating Austria in the Seven Weeks' War, creating the North German Federation and unifying Germany to become one of the most powerful nation-states in Europe.
How Germany became powerful in the 19th Century
During the reign of Prussian kaiser Wilhelm I, Prussian army was modernized by reforms done by general Helmuth von Moltke, industrialization was fostered in economy and Otto von Bismarck increased the influence of Prussia by the construction of a complex system of alliances in Europe that weakened Austria, isolated France and put the rest of German states into Prussia's sphere of influence.
Two fact fostered an scenario of German unification led by Prussia:
- The Prussian victory against Austria in the Seven Weeks' War (1.866), which meant that the latter had to renounce to the leadership of an eventual unification of the German states into one state-nation. This was followed by the formation of North German Federation (1.867), where Prussia was the hegemonic state.
- The defeat of France against Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War (1.870), which was followed by the formation of the German Empire (1.871), one of the most powerful and industrialized countries in the Europe of its time.
Therefore, kaiser Wilhelm I changed the power structure in Europe by beating Austria in the Seven Weeks' War, creating the North German Federation and unifying Germany to become one of the most powerful nation-states in Europe.
To learn more on German unification, we kindly invite to check this verified question: https://brainly.com/question/880843
