Modern history of Switzerland

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Swiss Confederation
Five official names
    • Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (
      Latin
      )
1848–present
Anthem: 
Various
Location of Modern history of Switzerland (green) in Europe (green and dark grey)
Location of Modern history of Switzerland (green)

in Europe (green and dark grey)

Capital

46°57′N 7°27′E / 46.950°N 7.450°E / 46.950; 7.450
Largest cityZürich
Official languages
Religion
  • 29.4% no religion
  • 5.4% Islam
  • 0.6% Hinduism
  • 0.9% other
  • 1.1% unanswered
Demonym(s)
GovernmentFederal assembly-independent[2][3] directorial republic with elements of a direct democracy
First:

Current:

Johann Ulrich Schiess (first)
Viktor Rossi (currently)
LegislatureFederal Assembly
Historical eraModern era
• Creation of the Swiss Federal Constitution
12 September 1848
1914–1918; 1939–1945
• Dissolution of the 1848 constitution
1 January 2000
25 February 2020
Area
• Total
41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi) (132nd)
• Water (%)
4.34%
Population
• Estimate
8,902,308[4]
• 2002
1.28 billion
Currency
+41
ISO 3166 codeCH
Internet TLD
Preceded by
Restoration and Regeneration in Switzerland
Part of a series on the
History of Switzerland
Nouvelle carte de la Suisse dans laquelle sont exactement distingues les treize cantons, leurs allies, et leurs sujets.
Early history
Old Swiss Confederacy
Transitional period
Modern history
Timeline
Topical
flag Switzerland portal

This article deals with the history of Switzerland since 1848.

See

Restoration and Regeneration (Switzerland)
for the period of 1815–1848.

Formation of the Federal State (1848)

Main articles:
Sonderbundskrieg and Switzerland as a federal state

Following a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the

federal government, instead the model of a confederation of independent cantons
bound by treaties.

Industrialisation and economic growth (1848–1914)

From 1847 to 1914, the

first railway line on Swiss soil in 1847, connecting Zürich and Baden
. The
Gotthard Rail Tunnel
was completed in 1881.

The

Swiss watchmaking industry has its origins in the 18th century, but boomed during the 19th century, turning the village of La Chaux-de-Fonds into an industrial center. Rapid urban growth also enlarged Zürich, which incorporated its industrial suburb Aussersihl
into the municipality in 1891.

Banking emerged as a significant factor in Swiss economy with the foundation of the Union Bank of Switzerland in 1862, and the Swiss Bank Corporation in 1872.

The Golden age of alpinism in the 1850s to 1860s lay the foundation to the tourism industry.

World wars (1914–1945)

Main article: Switzerland during the World Wars

During

refugees
.

During World War I, Switzerland was situated between the

Axis Powers
from 1940 to 1944.

1945 to present

Government

See also: Politics of Switzerland

From 1959, the

Federal Council, elected by the parliament, is composed of members of the four major parties, the liberal Free Democrats, the Catholic Christian Democrats, the left-wing Social Democrats and the right-wing People's Party, essentially creating a system without a sizeable parliamentary opposition (see concordance system), reflecting the powerful position of an opposition in a direct democracy
.

Women were granted the

Federal Council executive being Elisabeth Kopp who served from 1984 to 1989. The first female president was Ruth Dreifuss
, elected in 1998 to become president during 1999. The Swiss president is elected every year from those among the seven member high council and cannot serve two consecutive terms.

During the

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 was seen as a valid alternative. All remaining plans for building nuclear weapons were dropped by 1988.[8]

Domestic

See also: Demographics of Switzerland

In 1979, parts of the Bernese Jura attained independence while remaining in the Federation, forming the new canton of Jura.

The

Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, large-scale immigration of refugees has changed this picture, and residents with origins in the former Yugoslavia
now constitute the largest group of resident foreigners, with some 200,000 people (roughly 3% of the population).

Relations with the European Union

Main article: Switzerland–European Union relations
See also: Euroscepticism § Switzerland

With the exception of Liechtenstein, Switzerland has been completely surrounded by the European Union since 1995. Swiss-EU relations are a major issue in the country.

Swiss voters narrowly rejected a December 1992 referendum to join the European Economic Area, with 50.3% of voters opposed. Swiss voters rejected EU membership in a March 2001 referendum, with 76.8% opposed.

Despite Swiss opposition to joining the EU, voters have accepted

bilateral agreements with the union. In a May 2000 referendum, for example, Swiss voters approved such agreements. In a June 2005 referendum, Swiss voters approved joining the Schengen Area
.

In February 2014, Swiss voters approved

EU's freedom of movement accords
that Switzerland adopted.

Switzerland co-founded the European Free Trade Association in 1960, which is a parallel organization to the EU.

Notes and references

  1. S2CID 178237847
    . Als 1848 ein politisch-administratives Zentrum für den neuen Bundesstaat zu bestimmen war, verzichteten die Verfassungsväter darauf, eine Hauptstadt der Schweiz zu bezeichnen und formulierten stattdessen in Artikel 108: "Alles, was sich auf den Sitz der Bundesbehörden bezieht, ist Gegenstand der Bundesgesetzgebung." Die Bundesstadt ist also nicht mehr und nicht weniger als der Sitz der Bundesbehörden. [In 1848, when a political and administrative centre was being determined for the new federation, the founders of the constitution abstained from designating a capital city for Switzerland and instead formulated in Article 108: "Everything, which relates to seat of the authorities, is the subject of the federal legislation." The federal city is therefore no more and no less than the seat of the federal authorities.]
  2. S2CID 73642272
    .
  3. JSTOR 26300453
    .
  4. ^ "Bevölkerungsstand am Ende des 2. Quartals 2023 | Bundesamt für Statistik". 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  5. ^ Country profile: Switzerland UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Retrieved on 2009-11-25
  6. ^ 7.4 States Formerly Possessing or Pursuing Nuclear Weapons Retrieved March 6, 2014
  7. ^ "Historical Outline on the Question of Swiss Nuclear Armament". Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  8. ^ Swiss nuclear bomb International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War October 9, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2014

Further reading

  • Bonjour, E., H. S. Offler, G. R. Potter. A Short History of Switzerland (1952) online
  • Church, Clive H., and Randolph C. Head. A Concise History of Switzerland (Cambridge University Press, 2013). pp 132–61 online
  • Codevilla, Angelo M. Between the Alps and a Hard Place: Switzerland in World War II and the Rewriting of History (2000) excerpt and text search
  • Dawson, William Harbutt. Social Switzerland: Studies of Present-day Social Movements and Legislation (1897) 302 pp; with focus on social and economic history, poverty, labour online
  • Fahrni, Dieter. An Outline History of Switzerland. From the Origins to the Present Day (8th ed. 2003, Pro Helvetia, Zürich).
  • Lerner, Marc. A Laboratory of Liberty: The Transformation of Political Culture in Republican Switzerland, 1750–1848 (Brill, 2011).
  • Luck, James Murray. A History of Switzerland. The First 100,000 Years: Before the Beginnings to the Days of the Present. SPOSS, Palo Alto CA. (1985)
  • Lüthi, Barbara, and Damir Skenderovic, eds. Switzerland and Migration: Historical and Current Perspectives on a Changing Landscape (Springer, 2019).
  • Oechsli, Wilhelm. History of Switzerland, 1499–1914 (1922) full text online
  • Schelbert, Leo. Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (2007) excerpt and text search

External links

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