Why was it so difficult to unite Germany in the period 1815 to 1851?
To read all this essay and more Visit Coursework.info
Below is a short sample of the document. Visit Coursework.info for the full version.
The first step towards political union was the creation of the Zollverein in 1834. For the first part of the century, each German state managed there own economies, protecting them by means of customs duties. These barriers which surrounded each of the the 39 states of the German Confederation meant that generaly the economies stagnated due to the restrited deveopment of commercial exchange. The domestic tariff system was abandoned in Prussia in 1818 and in the years after this event, this example was followed by many of the other German states, motivated and encouraged by the success of the Prussian customs union. Progress continued rapidly and by 1834 the German customs union or Zollverein was set up. In 1834, this masive union, created in just 16 years, affected 23 million people and consisted of some 18 states. This was the first step towards a unified Germany, but this was only a first step as under this system there was no actual political unification. The Zollverein continued to expand and by 1836 the union had extended to include some 25 states. Within the union all customs barriers were demolished and ...
