For the most part, the concept of Germany was seen as more geographic then cultural. The concepts of self determination and pan-ethnic nationalism were still in their infancy and were not widespread among the average citizens of the world. The various nobles in pre-Confederation Germany would've taken steps to discourages these ideas, and would have instilled loyalty to the ruling house of the various cities or fiefdoms. Also, dialect differences were a source of centrifugal forces, as they could easily be identified. A Bavarian speaking to a Saxon would able to tell that the person with him was a foreigner the minute he met him. And often times, these dialect differences were the way that pre-Confederation Germans identified themselves.