Social Science — AI-generated practice question

A merchant travelling from Hamburg to Nuremberg in 1833 faced serious economic difficulties because Germany was divided into many small states, each with its own tariff barriers and currency. He would have to pay customs duties at each state border and deal with over thirty different currencies, making trade slow and costly. Uniform laws and standardised weights and measures were absent, further hindering exchange.

In 1834, the zollverein (customs union), formed at Prussia's initiative, abolished these tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies from over thirty to two. This allowed the unhindered movement of goods, people, and capital across German states, stimulating economic nationalism and supporting national unification.

Source: Chapter 1 (Nationalism in Europe), Section on Zollverein / Economic Nationalism

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• The question is 3 marks, so keep it to ~70–80 words covering two clear parts: the problem and the solution.
• Examiners expect you to name specific difficulties (tariffs at each border, 30+ currencies, no uniform laws/weights) and then explain what zollverein did (abolished tariffs, reduced currencies to two, enabled free movement).
• The word zollverein must appear and be identified as a customs union.
• Do not write a long essay — three focused sentences for the problem and two for the solution are enough.