German Unification The search for a German identity began in earnest after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Herder?s concept of ?Volkgeist? and the rise of the Burschenshaft and Gymnasiums spread this idea throughout the German states rapidly, leading to repression by Metternich. ?????????????????????? Originally German fraternities, the Burschenshaft encouraged dueling and other martial arts (shooting) to synthesize growing nationalist feeling with a ?sense of honor.? Germans began seeking links to a historical past, while rejecting influences that diluted or compromised their own national culture or spirit. These included folk traditions and pre-Christian German mythology, then undergoing a renewal under the influence of the Romantic Movement.