Contention and Democratization in Nineteenth-Century Switzerland

As seen in the vivid light cast by French and British examples, Switzerland followed an astonishing path to partial democracy during the nineteenth century. Long a scattering of belligerent fiefs within successive German empires, most Swiss areas acquired de facto independence at the Peace of Basel (1499) and de jure recognition as a federation at the Peace of Westphalia (1648). Until the very end of the eighteenth century the federation remained no more than a loose alliance of thirteen jealously sovereign cantons with strong ties to allied territories of Geneva, Grisons (Graubünden), and Valais, plus subject territories (e.g., Vaud, Lugano, Bellinzona, and Valtellina) of their component units. From the sixteenth to eighteenth century, Switzerland withdrew almost entirely from war on its own account, but provided crack mercenary troops to much of Europe. During that period, Switzerland's politics operated chiefly at the local and cantonal levels: outward-looking efforts to hold off other powers, inward-looking efforts to deal with — or defend — enormous disparities and particularities of privilege.

Conquered by Napoleon (with some assistance from Swiss revolutionaries) in 1798, then given new constitutions that year and in 1803, the Swiss adopted a much more centralized form of government with a national assembly, official multilingualism, and relative equality among cantons. Despite some territorial adjustments, the basic governmental form survived Napoleon's defeat.