In 1864, the rival German powers Prussia and Austria together annexed the Danish provinces of Schleswig and Holstein on behalf of the German Confederation. Old tensions between the states bubbled to the surface as they each attempted to gain control of the new territory, and in 1866 the Austrian-Prussian War broke out. Although the war was over in seven weeks, its consequences were far-reaching. Austria was excluded from the Confederation. which was dissolved, and Prussia became the dominant power in a new Germany. Free of inner tensions, Germany was set to become a Great Power.