The Ever Changing Nature of Swiss Neutrality essays

The Ever Changing Nature of Swiss Neutrality essays Switzerland defines neutrality as "...non-participation in an armed conflict between other states" (Confederazione Svizzera). This modern concept must have taking time to develop. This paper will investigate how and why Switzerland has grown into the neutral power that it is today. It argues that Switzerland's original isolationist stance of neutrality has changed into active peace mediation. It will first show this historical background of Switzerland and how the old Swiss Confederacy taught the fledgling nation to be neutral. It will go on to show the different processes of neutrality during the World Wars and the Cold War. Lastly it will examine the processes of modern Swiss neutrality and how the role of nation has changed into the country seen today. Switzerland had been under foreign control for hundreds of years during the Holy Roman Empire. Switzerland was divided into subsections called cantons. Cantons were established after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Cantons were separate sovereign mini-states that were part of the Swiss Confederacy. If another canton was attacked by a foreign invasion, the other cantons were meant to come to its aid. The cantons had agreed that they were big enough as a confederacy of allies to defend their own lands but would not be big enough to help the much larger surrounding countries of the Holy Roman Empire with their wars and so, the confederacy was, for the first time, established as a neutral. The Holy Roman Empire fell 150 years later and France had begun to emerge as the new hegemon. The Swiss were free from Italian and Holy Roman rule for less than a year in 1798 when it was taken over by France. The Swiss spoke French and should therefore be placed into the new, "one and divisible ally of France" Helvetic Empire. France claimed that it was "liberating" the Swiss people from their feudal government system Illi. The French ...