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Lecture

Swiss Neutrality: Historical Perspective

In course

HUM-422: Understanding modern Switzerland I

This course provides a general introduction to Swiss history, its culture, its economy and its political system since 1848 until today. ...

Description

This lecture delves into the historical evolution of Swiss neutrality, exploring its complex origins and the critical perspective provided by Swiss historians. The session covers key milestones such as the Vienna Congress in 1815, the establishment of Swiss neutrality in the federal constitution of 1848, and Switzerland's role during the First and Second World Wars. The discussion also includes the controversies surrounding Switzerland's arms exports, its involvement in the Biafra conflict, and the implications of Swiss industrialists' ties to weapons production and art collections. The session concludes with reflections on Switzerland's post-World War II efforts to reinforce political neutrality, promote solidarity, and engage in humanitarian aid and technical assistance on the international stage.

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Related concepts (10)

Neutral country

A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, CSTO or the SCO). As a type of non-combatant status, nationals of neutral countries enjoy protection under the law of war from belligerent actions to a greater extent than other non-combatants such as enemy civilians and prisoners of war.

Swiss neutrality

Swiss neutrality is one of the main principles of Switzerland's foreign policy which dictates that Switzerland is not to be involved in armed or political conflicts between other states. This policy is self-imposed and designed to ensure external security and promote peace. Switzerland has the oldest policy of military neutrality in the world; it has not participated in a foreign war since its neutrality was established by the Treaty of Paris in 1815.

World war

A world war is an international conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for the two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945), although some historians have also described other global conflicts as world wars, such as the Nine Years' War, the War of the Spanish Succession, the Seven Years' War, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Cold War, and the War on Terror.

Vienna

Vienna (viˈɛnə ; Wien viːn; Wean veɐ̯n) is the capital, largest city, and one of nine provinces of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city and its primate city, with about two million inhabitants (2.9 million within the metropolitan area, nearly one-third of the country's population), and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the sixth-largest city proper by population in the European Union and the largest of all cities on the Danube river.

World War II

World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. Many participants threw their economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind this total war, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources.

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