Zollverein, ( German: “Customs Union”) German customs union
established in 1834 under Prussian leadership. It created a
free-trade area throughout much of Germany and is often seen as
an important step in German reunification.  The movement to
create a free-trade zone in Germany received great impetus from
economists such as Friedrich List, its most active advocate in
early 19th-century Germany. In 1818 Prussia enacted a tariff law
abolishing all internal customs dues and announced its
willingness to establish free trade with neighbouring states. A
decade later Prussia signed the first such pact with Hesse-
Darmstadt. In 1828 a customs union was set up in southern
Germany by Bavaria and Württemberg, joined in 1829 by the
Palatinate; also in 1828 the central German states established a
similar union, which included Saxony, the Thuringian states,
electoral Hesse, and Nassau. In 1834 these were among the 18
states that joined in the Zollverein. Hanover and Oldenburg
joined in 1854; the two Mecklenburgs, Schleswig