Final answer:
The 1648 Peace of Westphalia granted autonomy to the German states and weakened the Holy Roman Empire. It set the stage for the eventual unification of Germany.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 1648 Peace of Westphalia had a significant impact on the German states and the Holy Roman Empire. The peace agreement granted more autonomy to individual German states, which weakened the authority of the Holy Roman Empire and made it virtually defunct. However, this did not immediately lead to the emergence of a unified German nation-state.Instead, it laid the groundwork for the eventual unification of Germany in the late 19th century. The peace agreement allowed the German states to develop and strengthen their individual identities and institutions. This, in turn, set the stage for future movements towards German nationalism and eventual unification under Prussian leadership.Therefore, the impact of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia was not the immediate dissolution of the German states, but rather the transformation and development of the German states towards eventual unification as a federal republic.