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Location: Aix en Provence Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France

A majority of states of the loose, …

Years: 1834 - 1834
January

A majority of states of the loose, ineffectual German Confederation, which had been established primarily for defensive purposes and has been plagued by rivalries between Prussia and Austria, form the commercially powerful Zollverein, the German Customs Union established on January 1, 1834.

The member states, initially eighteen, enjoy such advantages as access to the sea, aid in building transportation infrastructures, their own customs administrations, and veto over economic decisions.

The Zollverein removes internal customs barriers, although upholding a protectionist tariff system with foreign trade partners.

The main ideological contributor behind the customs union is Friedrich List, an economist holding mercantilist and protectionist views.

At first including only the close neighbors of Prussia, it will gradually expand to include most of the German states outside of Austria.

The Zollverein totally excludes Austria because of its highly protected industry; this economic exclusion will later exacerbate the Austro-Prussian rivalry for dominance in central Europe during the late ninteenth century.

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