<Tr> <Td> 1864 </Td> <Td> Prussia and Austria engage in a border war with Denmark over the autonomy of the duchies of Holstein and Schleswig . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1865 </Td> <Td> Sweden - Norway signs a free trade agreement with the Zollverein, linking the German members to the Scandinavian market . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1866 </Td> <Td> Austro - Prussian War, in which Austria loses its political and diplomatic influence in the German Confederation . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1867 </Td> <Td> The Zollverein is reconstituted . </Td> </Tr>

A. an alliance formed by countries with similar political or economic goals