While researching for my TL, I've recently fell into a Kaiserreich kick, so forgive me for the few threads iv posted surrounding the subject.
That being said, I'm curious about the plausibility and effects of a particular PoD that I think might've occured given the right circumstances during the post-Franco-Prussian peace negotiations.
To start, the Zollverein was a customs union (it was at first called the Prussian customs union) that was estbalished to help reduce the barriers to fluid economic activity between the myriad of German states in the early 19th century.
This pretty much brought in the elimination of domestic tolls, the standardization of currency conversion, revenue sharing, etc all to the long term benefit of North German confederation and then German Empire.
So what if, instead of the cash indemnities levied on France after its loss in 1871, it was simply forced to joined the Zollverein as a means to further increase the long term economic domination of Germany, similar to way Nappy imposed the Continental System?