Swiss Confederation
Government: Federal multi-party directorial republic
Ruler: Seven cantons
Area: 16,000 square miles
Population: 3.4 million
Military: 450,000 men
Switzerland had been in a pseudo state of Independence since the 14th century.
Under the Old Swiss Confederation, The nation gained de-facto independence during the Swabian
war in 1499.
And for nearly twenty years was thought to be invincible in battle.
The battle of Marignano was the last battle for that thought.
The French and Venetian forces managed to decisively defeat the Swiss forces and pushed
them out of Milan, putting an end to Swiss expansionism and offensives until modern day.
European countries recognized Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and
its neutrality during the peace of Westphilia in 1648.
The growing authoritarianism of the patriciate families combined with a financial crisis
in the wake of the Thirty Years' War led to the Swiss peasant war of 1653.
In the background to this struggle, the conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted,
erupting in further violence in 1656, and in 1712.
During the Fremch Revolution, the cantons were overall banned and a central government
was introduced.
The Congress of Viena re-established the Swiss states independence and their territory grew
with the admission of the cantons of Valais, Neuch tel and Geneva.
The revolutions of the 1840's saw Switzerland put into a month long Civil War, while this
war produced few casualties, the cantons and the people themselves saw the need to have
a federal state which was proclaimed on September the 12th 1848.
When World War 1 broke out, Switzerland sent nearly 200,000 men to the French border, as
they viewed the French as the most likely to violate their neutrality.
Small contingents were sent to the German and Italian border as well.
Nearly 3 fourths of the Swiss population was supportive of the Central Powers and many
of them were of German descent.
The remaining fourth was mainly French with a small amount of Italians within the nation
as well.
During the war Switzerland was blockaded by the Allies and therefore suffered some difficulties.
However, because Switzerland was centrally located, neutral, and generally undamaged,
the war allowed the growth of the Swiss banking industry.
For the same reasons, Switzerland became a haven for refugees and revolutionaries.
Once it became clear that both sides would respect Swiss neutrality, the number of men
in the army rapidly fell, since they were needed for vital industry and crop production.
Although Switzerland was spared direct involvement in the war, both the economic warfare and
insufficient preparations for a situation of long-lasting mobilization of the army resulted
in tremendous economic and social impact.
Imports of vital foodstuffs and fuel collapsed especially in the second half of the war.
Imported cereals between 1916 and 1918 declined by 68 percent and the import of coal dropped
by more than a third from 1915 to 1918.
These developments boosted wartime inflation for basic consumer goods.
Bread price would double and the sugar price even treble between the start and end of the
war.
This was able to be temporarily lessened by increased imports through Italy but once that
nation went to war, the Swiss lacked a neutral port to buy from.
Overall inflation from 1914 to 1918 reached 195.8 percent, including 187.6 percent for
foodstuffs and 234.5 percent for fuel.
Industrial workers real wages, even with moderate pay rises, relapsed to the 1890 level.
Long-standing military mobilization made the situation even worse, as common soldiers daily
pay amounted to two hours for an average male industrial worker.
Many working-class families therefore became increasingly dependent on female income that
on average only reached between 55 and 60 percent of male wages.
These developments were even more resented as they sharply contrasted with an explosion
of corporate profits in some economic sectors, and the government rescinded several crucial
principles of pre-war labor legislation, allowing entrepreneurs to expand working hours as well
as night and Sunday work, reduce wages and to cheaply employ minors.
Attempts by the authorities to moderate supply problems started relatively late and were
a limited success.
From 1915 on-wards the government instituted state monopolies for the import of the most
vital foodstuffs and fuel.
At the same time, administrative measures trying to boost domestic agricultural production
had only modest impact and success.
Rationing of basic foodstuffs did not start before 1917.
In April 1917, a federal agency for poor relief was instituted, co-ordinating relief schemes
that included discounted meals as well as extra rations and price reductions for bread,
milk, potatoes and fuel.
During the last year of the war, more than 17 percent of the Swiss population and a much
higher percentage of the urban working classes depended on discounted bread.
The economy as a whole did not perform well in the second half of the war.
Even many of the industrial companies that enjoyed high profits during the war boom of
1915/16 were confronted with import blockades and sales problems in the last two years of
the war.
Most importantly, the majority of the population suffered from supply shortfalls and inflation
that lowered their purchasing power.
The combination of all these factors and experiences resulted in increasing working-class protest
from about 1916 on that was dynamically related to a partial radicalization of the Swiss labor
movement.
In 1918, social and political tensions resulted in demonstrations, local work stoppages and
a general strike at the national level.
Hunger was the central wartime experience of the working-class population in the cities,
creating resentment against the allegedly privileged peasants.
Eventually, the Spanish influenza at the war s end would cause about 22,000 deaths, making
1918 the only year in the history of the modern nation in which the number of deaths exceeded
the number of births.