Social Studies - The map above best illustrates which of the following aspects about the unification of Germany

The map above best illustrates which of the following aspects about the unification of Germany between 1866 and 1871 ? 

(A) It was achieved through a combination of diplomatic and military means. 

(B) It was led by the government of German-speaking Austria. 

(C) The states that became part of unified Germany in 1871 had previously been allies of Austria. 

(D) Prussians could vote for Parliament in the unified German state, but Germans from other states could not.

Answer: 

Option (A) is correct. 

The map shows that some German states joined the North German Confederation, and others joined the German Empire, on their own accord, while other German states were annexed by Prussia as a result of military victories (in the PrussianAustrian War of 1866 and in the Franco- Prussian War of 1870–1871). The southern states that joined the Empire in 1871 (Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, and Hesse-Darmstadt) had previously been allies of Austria (in the Prussian-Austrian war of 1866), but that is not reflected in the map.