Final answer:
The power vacuum post-revolutions arose from the revolutionary coalitions' disconnection with the populace and their internal disputes. The Frankfurt Parliament failed to fill this vacuum due to internal divisions and rejection by traditional power holders. Ultimately, German unification was achieved by conservative and monarchical elements, not by the liberal revolutionaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The power vacuum after the revolutions was created due to the inefficiency of the revolutionary coalitions to establish meaningful connections with the broader population and their indulgence in debates over national identity rather than forming a stable government. The Frankfurt Parliament, envisioned as a solution to this disarray, was the first freely elected parliament in German history that aimed to draft a constitution for a united Germany. However, due to internal disagreements about issues such as the inclusion of Austrian territories and the nature of the German state, as well as external rejection by monarchs and aristocrats, the Parliament's efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
In Prussia and the other German kingdoms, monarchs maneuvered behind the scenes to regain control. Monarchs like King Frederick William IV of Prussia rejected the idea that a monarch's authority could be granted by an elected assembly. After 1848, the push for German unification continued through the successful Zollverein and was later achieved through more conservative forces, leading to the establishment of the German Empire in 1871 under Prussian leadership.