How important was the development of the Zollverein to the unification of Germany?

In 1848 Austria remained outside the zollverein, this gave Prussia economic leadership while Austria still had an element of control over the North German Confederation; 1864 Prussia was indisputably dominant within the Zollverein, which now contained virtually all the German states. This dominance was encouraging to the liberals and nationalists within Prussia and as well as other German states. There was a stable element within the German states and this meant that many felt there was hope of politically unity.

One of the most important causes of the zollvereins’ success was that it enabled the building of railways within the German states. Not only did this mean that Prussia was one of the first countries to employ the use of railways on a large scale but it also equipped them well military; allowing rapid movement of troops that would be very important in the war against Austria in 1866. The other important factor in the building of the railways was that it linked the German states. Although maybe not seeming like a large factor, the building of the railways was pulling down barriers around Prussia and expanding around them. The unification process was also helped by the fact that Berlin became the hub of activity in the zollverein and therefore the trade processes were centralised in Prussia.

Therefore it can be seen that the zollverein was very important to the unification of Germany, it introduced a standard currency and measuring system in the German states. It allowed those within the union to benefit from free trade and so expand accordingly. This in turn allowed Prussia, in particular, to advance in technology, which was used in production of railways and weapons. The effects of the zollverein were just as important as the actual zollverein itself.

However there is an alternative view to that expressed above. It can be argued that the zollverein in fact played a very small role in the unification of Germany. There are several examples where we can see that the zollverein did not unite the German states as it has been suggested. In 1866 when Prussia did go to war with Austria, every member of the zollverein was opposed to the action of Prussia, although many could take little action as Prussia’s army had hemmed them in. another example of the lack of unity was in 1834 when Prussia deliberately used aggressive policies to enrich them. A trade war was the outcome with rival trade zones such as the Mid-German Customs Union.