Abstract
On 1 Aug., 1291, the men of Uri, Schwyz and Lower Unterwalden entered into a defensive league. In 1353 the league included eight members and in 1513 thirteen. Various allied and subject territories were acquired either by single cantons or by several in common, and in 1648 the league became formally independent of the Holy Roman Empire, but no addition was made to the number of cantons till 1798. In that year, under the influence of France, the unified Helvetic Republic was formed. This failed to satisfy the Swiss, and in 1803 Napoleon Bonaparte, in the Act of Mediation, gave a new constitution and out of the lands formerly allied or subject increased the number of cantons to nineteen. In 1815 the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland and the inviolability of her territory were guaranteed by Austria, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia and Russia, and the Federal Pact which had been drawn up at Zürich, and which included three new cantons, was accepted by the Congress of Vienna. The Pact remained in force till 1848, when a new constitution was passed without foreign interference. This, in turn, was, on 29 May, 1874, superseded by the constitution which is now in force.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Books of Reference
Statistical Information.—The Bureau fédéral de statistique (15, Hallwyl St., Bern) was established in 1860; Director.—A. Koller. Its principal publications are:—
Annuaire statistique de la Suisse. Bâle.
Statistique de la Suisse. From 1930.
Contributions â la Statistique Suisse. From 1930.
Bibliographie Suisse de statistique et d’économie politique. Annual, from 1937.
Swiss Confederation: Annuaire; Budget; Message du Budget; Compte d’Etat (annual); Feuille Fédérale; Recueil des Lois fédérales (weekly).
Sammlung der Bundes-und Kantonsverfassungen (in German, French and Italian).
Berne, 1937.
Federal Department of Economics
La Suisse économique et sociale. Berne, 1926–27.
La vie économique (and supplements). Monthly.
Législation sociale de la Suisse. Annual, from 1928.
Federal Customs Office
Statistique mensuelle du commerce extérieur de la Suisse.
Statistique annuelle du commerce extérieur de la Suisse. 2 vols.
Rapport annuel de la statistique du commerce Suisse.
National Bank: Bulletin mensuel; Das schweizerische Bankwesen. Yearly.
Schneebeli (Hermann), Die Schweizerische Nationalbank, 1907–32. Zurich, 1932.
Marx (Dr. Paul), Systematisches Register zu den geltenden Staatsverträgen der schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft und der Kantone mit dem Auslande, Zurich, 1918.
Appendix, 1934.
Overseas Economic Survey: Switzerland, March, 1949. H.M.S.O., 1949.
Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz. 7 vols. Neuenburg, 1919–34. (Also in French.)
Schweizerisches Finanz-Jahrbuch. Berne. Annaul.
Handbuch der schweizerischen Volkswirtschaft. 2 vols. Bern, 1939.
Bonjour (E.), Swiss Neutrality. London, 1946.
Bonjour (F.), Real Democracy in Operation: The Example of Switzerland. (English translation.) London, 1920.
Boissier (L.) (and others), Suisse (La vie Juridique des Peuples). Paris, 1935.
Bozeman (A. B.), Regional Conflicts around Geneva. Stanford University Press, 1949.
Brunner (K.), Heereskunde der Schweiz. 2nd edition. Berne, 1940.
Burckhardt (W.), Kommentar der Schweiz. Bundesverfassung. Berne, 1931.
Carol (H.), Wirtschaftsgeographische Karte der Schweiz. Bern, 1946.
Chapuis (A.), La Suisse dans le Monde. Paris, 1940.
Dürr (K), Feller (R), Muralt (L. von) and Nabholz (H.), Geschichte der Schweiz. Zürich, 1930.
Ernst (A.), Die Ordnung des militärischen Oberbefehls im schweizerischen Bundesstaat. Basel, 1918.
Früh (J.), Geographie der Schweiz. 3 vols. St. Gallen. 1930–38.
Gagliardi (Ernst), Geschichte der Schweiz. 3 vols. Zürich, 1937.
Gossin (Albert), La presse suisse. Neuchâtel, 1937.
His (Eduard), Geschichte des neuern schweizerischen Staatsrechts. 3 vols. Basel, 1938.
Holliday (L. G.), Economic and Commercial Conditions in Switzerland Apr. 1951. H.M.S.O., 1952.
Huber (H.), How Switzerland is Governed. Zurich, 1947.
Hürlirnann (Martin), Die Schweiz. Berne, 1938.—(Editor), Grosse Schweizer [12 biographies]. Zurich, 1945.
Jacot (A.), Neues schweizerisches Orts-Lexikon mit Verkehrs-Karte. Lucerne, 1940.
Knapp (C.), Bore (M.) and Attinger (V.), Dictionnaire géographique de la Suisse. [Published both in French and German.] Neuchâtel, 1902–1910.
Lambert (U.), Kirche und Staat in der Schweiz. 2 vols. Freiburg, 1937.
Leemann (Walter), Landeskunde der Schweiz. Zürich, 1939.
Lunn (A.), Switzerland: Her Topographical, Historical and Literary Landmarks. London, 1928.
Mojonnier (A.), 650 Jahre Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft. Zürich, 1941.
Oechsli (W.), History of Switzerland, 1499–1914. Cambridge and London, 1922.
Rappard (W. E.), L’Individu et l’Etat dans l–Évolution Constitutionelle de la Suisse. Zürich, 1936.—The Government of Switzerland. New York. 1937.—La Constitution fédérale de la Suisse. Zurich, 1948.—Collective Security in Swiss Experience. London, 1948.
Ruck (Erwin), Schweizerisches Staatsrecht. Zürich, 1933.
Salis (L. R. de). Le Droit Fédéral Suisse. Neuchâtel 1930.
Siegfried (A.), Switzerland: a Democratic Way of Life. London, 1950.
Silbernagel-Caloyanni (Alfred), Suisse: Organisation Politique. Administrative et Judiciaire de la Confédération Helvétique et de Chaque Canton. Paris, 1936.
Steiger (J.), Finanzhaushalt der Schweiz. 6 vols. Lerne, 1912–19.
Thormann (P.) and Overbeck (A.) (editors), Das Schweizerische Strafgesetzbuch. Zürich 1939.
Wahlen (F. T.). Das Schweizerische Anbanwerk, 1940–45. Zurich, 1946.
Williams (Ivy), The Swiss Civil Code. English version. Oxford. 1925.
Editor information
Copyright information
© 1952 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Steinberg, S.H. (1952). Switzerland. In: Steinberg, S.H. (eds) The Statesman’s Year-Book. The Statesman’s Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230270817_70
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230270817_70
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-54904-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-27081-7
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)