Complex sentence: The Zollverein, in retrospect, did much more than simply cement alliances between the various German states as its Prussian architects had intended--it set the groundwork for the unification of Germany under Prussian dominance, achieved less than five decades later.
Split into simpler sentences: The Zollverein, in retrospect, did much more than simply cement alliances between the various German states as its Prussian architects had intended. It set the groundwork for the unification of Germany under Prussian dominance, achieved less than five decades later.