Originally inhabited by the Helvetians, or Helvetic Celts, the territory comprising modern Switzerland was conquered by Julius Caesar during the Gallic wars and was made part of the Roman Empire. It remained a Roman province until the fourth century A.D. Under Roman influence, the Helvetians reached a high level of civilization and enjoyed a flourishing and peaceful commerce. Important cities, such as Geneva, Basel, and Zurich, were linked by good military roads that also served as trade arteries between Rome and the northern tribes.
After the decline of the Roman Empire, Switzerland was repeatedly invaded by Germanic tribes from the north and west. Some of these tribes, such as the Alemanni in central and northeastern Switzerland, and the Burgundians, who ruled western Switzerland, settled there. In A.D. 800, the country became part of Charlemagne's empire. It subsequently passed under the dominion of the German emperors in the form of small ecclesiastical and temporal holdings subject to imperial sovereignty.
Foundations of Modern Switzerland
In August 1291, on the shores of Lake Lucerne, representatives of the three forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the Eternal Alliance, which united them in the struggle against "foreign" rule by the Hapsburgs, who then held the German imperial throne. At the Battle of Morgarten in 1315, the Swiss defeated the Hapsburg army and secured quasi-independence within the German empire as the Swiss Confederation. During the 14th century, the confederation grew, adding five more cantons, including Zurich and Bern.
By the beginning of the 16th century, Switzerland comprised 13 autonomous cantons and several subject communities. During this period, the Swiss gained renown throughout Europe as excellent soldiers, not only in protecting their own country but also as mercenary troops throughout the continent.
After the disastrous battle at Marignano in 1515, in which Swiss mercenaries fought on both sides, the Swiss cantons gradually began to abandon mercenary service and sought to follow a policy of neutrality toward conflicts between foreign parties.
The religious struggles of the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War, although severe in Switzerland, failed to sever the union. Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, Switzerland's independence from the empire and its neutrality were recognized by other European nations.
In 1798, Switzerland was invaded and conquered by the armies of the French Revolution. The Treaty of Vienna and the Second Peace of Paris in 1815 reestablished Swiss independence, and the powers participating in the Congress of Vienna agreed to recognize Swiss permanent neutrality.
Constitutions of 1848 and 1874
Organized as a very loose confederation of 22 cantons in 1815 under the Federal Pact, Switzerland adopted a federal constitution in 1848, modeled in part on the U.S. Constitution. The Swiss amended their constitution extensively in 1874, establishing federal responsibility for defense, trade, and legal matters. Since then, continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterized Swiss history. Determined to preserve their neutrality, the Swiss did not participate in either World War.
Political Conditions
Although a diverse society, Switzerland has one of the world's most stable governments. Most of its well-educated and politically sophisticated voters support the government in the armed neutrality underlying its foreign and defense policies. Domestic policy poses no major problems. Disaffected elements, such as the communists, form only an insignificant minority. Quadrennial national elections typically result in few major changes in party representation, demonstrating the stability of Swiss political life.
The constitution limits federal influence in the formulation of domestic policy and specifically emphasizes the roles of private enterprise and cantonal governments. However, the confederation has been compelled to enlarge its policymaking powers in recent years to cope with national problems. Increased federal subsidies to education, necessitated by cantonal inability to finance modern institutions, resulted in greater federal influence in education. In 1947, the confederation acquired constitutional authority to formulate agricultural policy and, since that time, has used guaranteed prices, import quotas, and other devices to strengthen the economic position of Swiss farmers. In 1960, the confederation took from private industry principal responsibility for Swiss nuclear energy development. More recently, federal authority in matters relating to environmental protection has been enhanced.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, March 1989.