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Originally Posted by E. Cartman
Keep in mind that Germany itself was a creation of Von Bismark in the late 1800's. Prior to that, it was a collection of independent states with a common language and culture (with some differences, religion being one as Austria is majority Catholic, Germany majority Protestant), but not government although at various periods such as the Holy Roman Empire the states did have one degree or another of political ties. Still, there has long been a friction between the two poles of German culture: Austria and Prussia. It has never been in the Austrian interest to see the Prussian pole excessively powerful.
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You are right with that. After all Austria was for a long time the hegemone among the German dutchies and kingdoms. Until Prussian appeared on the scene and successfully conquered the hegemony which in the end led to the German unification which was in fact a Prussia entreprise.
Austria never would have accepted to have to accept the orders of Prussians. Austria might have had an interest in being part of an "Austrian" Germany. But the "Prussian" Germany was something quite different.
But as I said allready before. Austria today is a souvereign nation. (not just a state". It never has been part of the German nation-foundation. So at the time Germany became a nation (in the modern sense of a nation state), Austria allready was not part. In fact it took many further decades and 2 World Wars until Austria itself became a nation too.