A few days ago was the 170th anniversary of the collapse of the Erfurt Union - one of the early attempts at German unification led by Prussia. The Erfurt Union Parliament lasted only from March 20 to April 29, 1850. 
The Erfurt Union represented a top down effort by Prussia to realize German unification. Elections to the Union Parliament were largely ignored by the population in January 1850 and it led to the collapse of the Alliance of the Three Kings between Prussia, Saxony and Hanover.
In November 1850, the Treaty of Ölmutz, signed by Prussia and Austria - which was supported by Russia - forced Prussia to abandon plans for the Erfurt Union. It would be 16 years before Prussia's defeat of Austria, which cleared the path to a renewed effort at German unification.
