Swiss Crossroads

🤝 The Long Diet and Vienna

With Napoleon's impending downfall, the Act of Mediation was suspended in December 1813, initiating extensive constitutional debates across the cantons. The Tagsatzung, or "Long Diet," convened in Zurich from April 1814 to August 1815 to draft a new constitution. Progress was slow until Valais, Neuchâtel, and Geneva were admitted as full members, expanding the Confederation to 22 cantons. Simultaneously, the Congress of Vienna (September 1814 – June 1815) played a crucial role in Switzerland's re-organization, despite internal cantonal rivalries hindering the Swiss delegation's efforts to secure neutrality.

🌍 International Recognition and Territorial Shifts

The Congress of Vienna's declaration on March 20, 1815, recognized the territory of the 19 cantons from the Act of Mediation and formally integrated Valais, Neuchâtel, and Geneva into Switzerland. However, the Valtellina, Chiavenna, and Bormio were detached from the Grisons and incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Swiss neutrality remained unresolved until Napoleon's return from Elba prompted the Tagsatzung to declare war on France, allowing Allied troop passage. The subsequent Treaty of Paris on November 20, 1815, finally granted financial compensation, a small territorial gain connecting Geneva to Vaud, and, most significantly, the permanent recognition of Swiss neutrality by all European powers.

📜 Re-establishing Cantonal Autonomy

Following the Congress, cantonal constitutions were independently developed from 1814 onwards, largely reinstating the late feudal conditions prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Federal Treaty (Bundesvertrag) of August 7, 1815, formally re-organized the Tagsatzung, solidifying the federal structure. Symbolically, the old Swiss flag—a white cross on a red field—was reintroduced for the Confederation's seal and coat of arms, marking a return to traditional symbols after the Napoleonic era.

⚔️ Resurgent Conflicts and Democratic Ascent

The "restored" political landscape, which saw the Patriciate and free cities reclaim significant power, created considerable disadvantage for the rural population. This imbalance fueled rebellions and violent conflicts, such as the Züriputsch of 1839 in Zurich. In Basel, the conflict led to the canton's split into Basel-City and Basel-Country in 1833. Similarly, *Ausserschwyz* temporarily seceded from the canton of Schwyz in 1831, only to be reunited in 1833 after an egalitarian constitution was drafted. Since 1830, democratic forces, notably embodied by the Radical Democratic Party of Switzerland, had been steadily gaining influence.

💡 Liberal Demands and Ideological Clashes

The Radical Party, which formed groups like *La Jeune Suisse* (Young Switzerland), championed liberal ideals across the cantons. Their central demands included the abolition of censorship, the separation of church and state, popular sovereignty, and representative democracy. Economic reforms, particularly a uniform system of coinage, were also high on their agenda, aimed at strengthening trade, industry, and banking. However, these monetary reforms faced strong opposition, often cloaked in religious rhetoric, with Jesuits attacking Radicals as "infidels." This ideological divide pitted the right-wing Conservative Party (representing the Patriciate) against the "free-thinking" left-wing Radical Party.

🔥 The Jesuit Question and Sonderbund War

The conflict intensified when the Radicals, upon gaining power in the 1830s, imposed restrictions on the Catholic Church in Aargau in 1841. Lucerne retaliated by readmitting the Jesuits as teachers in cantonal schools, sparking the "Jesuit question." This led to armed radical invasions of Lucerne, known as the *Freischarenzüge*, in 1844 and 1845. Despite the participation of figures like Gottfried Keller, the 1845 invasion ended disastrously, with 35 casualties. The Radicals then returned to political means, and the Tagsatzung decreed the expulsion of the Jesuits on September 3, 1847 (a decree repealed only in 1973). In response, the Catholic cantons formed the secret Sonderbund alliance in 1845, violating inter-cantonal treaties. This triggered the Sonderbund War in November 1847, a brief civil conflict managed thoughtfully by General Guillaume-Henri Dufour, resulting in fewer than a hundred casualties.

🤝 A New Federal Compact

The conclusion of the Sonderbund War in November 1847, with the defeat of the Catholic Sonderbund cantons, marked a decisive turning point in Swiss history. This conflict, though brief and with relatively few casualties thanks to General Guillaume-Henri Dufour's strategic leadership, underscored the urgent need for a stronger, more unified federal structure. The outcome decisively favored the liberal and radical forces, paving the way for a fundamental constitutional overhaul.

📝 The Federal Constitution of 1848

In the aftermath of the hostilities, the path was clear for the creation of a new national framework. On September 12, 1848, the first Swiss Federal Constitution was adopted. This landmark document transformed Switzerland from a loose confederation of independent cantons into a modern federal state. It established a central government with greater powers, while still preserving significant cantonal autonomy, a balance that continues to define Swiss political life today. This constitution laid the groundwork for the stable, prosperous, and democratic Switzerland we know, ending decades of internal strife and ushering in an era of unprecedented national unity and progress.

📜 References