What happened to the German confederation?

Answer 1

It was dissolved after Prussia defeated Austria in 1866; prior to 1866, the two most powerful German states were Prussia and Austria. People wanted the German states to unite as one large country instead of many small states, but they couldn't decide if Prussia or Austria would be the state that would lead this new country. In 1866, Prussia started a fight with Austria and won, thereby forcing Austria out. Most of Germany, excepting a few larger kingdoms like Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemburg (as well as a few smaller states like Baden), united behind a new confederation led by Prussia called the "North German Confederation". The NGC was effectively a new German empire but wasn't complete; it would not be so until Prussia defeated France in a war in 1870-71. After that happened, the remaining German countries (except Austria) were merged into the NGC, and the German Empire was born, and would last until 1918.