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How Britain Unified Germany: Trade Routes and the Formation of the Zollverein

Thilo R. Huning & Nikolaus Wolf

The Journal of Economic History2026https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050725101083article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Does the location of a state relative to others matter? We argue that a state’s location can affect its bargaining power, and thus multilateral relations if trade costs depend on trade routes that pass through other states. This is an important, yet neglected aspect of economic history. We show how an exogenous border change—caused by Britain’s intervention at Vienna in 1815—affected the location and trade routes of Prussia and other German states. We find that this border change led to the formation of the first customs union in history, the German Zollverein of 1834.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050725101083

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@article{thilo2026,
  title        = {{How Britain Unified Germany: Trade Routes and the Formation of the Zollverein}},
  author       = {Thilo R. Huning & Nikolaus Wolf},
  journal      = {The Journal of Economic History},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050725101083},
}

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How Britain Unified Germany: Trade Routes and the Formation of the Zollverein

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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