German question
Austria remained a part of the re-established German Confederation, while Prussia still tried to improve its position within the confederation and even cherished its union plans. Around 1860, the German question became dynamic again. Austria came out weakened by the Italian War of the previous year while Prussia sought to gain the approval of the national movement. Several proposals were made to reform the German Confederation, most notably in 1863 at the "Frankfurter Fürstentag". At this moment, the networks of the political elites in Lesser Germany were already quite separate from the Austrian ones.