German unification was finally achieved in 1871.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] A German Customs Union.
2. [1] A collection of German states to produce economic union.
3. [1] It did not include Austria.
4. [1] It was a customs union led by Prussia.
5. [1] It managed tariffs and economic policies between a number of German states.
6. [1] It simplified tariffs between many German states and encouraged them to work together economically.
7. [1] By 1866 it included most German states.
8. [6] Risings across Germany led to demands for an all-German assembly. Representatives from across Germany met and agreed to form a pre-parliament which would prepare elections for a national constitutional assembly. Elections were then held in German states for a national Assembly which met in Frankfurt.
9. [1] The deposing of Louis Philippe in France encouraged demands for a German popular assembly.
10. [1] Revolutionary risings across Germany led to demands for an all-German assembly.
11. [1] It was set up to create a constitution for Germany.
12. [1] It was set up to help create a united Germany.
13. [1] It was set up because at that time the liberals had gained the upper hand.
14. [10] Bismarck's policies were crucial in bringing about German unification. He planned it from the beginning, which can be seen by the way he isolated and then defeated Austria, excluding it from German affairs and leaving Prussia all-powerful. He then set up the North German Confederation under Prussian control and created a war with France, leading southern states to support Prussia, which unified Germany after France's defeat. OR Other long-term causes such as German nationalism, liberalism, the decline of Austria, and the economic and military strength of Prussia were more important. Unification would not have happened without these factors, as Bismarck operated within this context. Prussia was already economically strong before Bismarck, leading the Zollverein, and its industrial production grew faster than Austria's, providing Bismarck with the necessary strength for Prussia to dominate Germany.
15. [1] Austria was in long-term decline.
16. [1] Prussia was the strongest state in Germany.
17. [1] Prussia was already the leading state in Germany as can be seen by its leadership of the Zollverein.
18. [1] German liberals had been campaigning for a united Germany for years.
19. [1] German nationalism had been growing for years across Germany.
20. [1] The 1848 revolutions showed that there was a lot of support for a united Germany.
21. [1] Bismarck engineered the isolation and defeat of Austria.
22. [1] Bismarck caused the war with France to make the southern states support him and create a unified Germany.
23. [1] Bismarck engineered war with France to weaken France and get it out of the way. Germany could then be unified.