Question

How would Germany most likely have been different between 1848 and 1871 if Prussia had not belonged to the German Confederation?

Germany would have split into multiple nation-states.
Germany would have been defeated by France in the war.
Germany would not have achieved unification as quickly.
Germany would have adopted a new, liberal constitution.

Answer 1

Germany would not have achieved unification as quickly.

Reason: Prussia was the decisive driving force behind unification (militarily and diplomatically) in the 1860s–1871 — Bismarck’s Realpolitik, Prussian wars with Denmark, Austria (1866) and France (1870–71), and the creation of the North German Confederation all relied on Prussia’s dominant position within the German Confederation. Without Prussia’s membership and leadership, Austrian influence or continued fragmentation of the many German states would likely have slowed or prevented rapid unification; the other options are less plausible as the most likely single outcome.