The result was an extensive network of small and medium-sized lines that were barely coordinated but covered more than 600 miles (1,000 km) of track by 1860 and twice that amount by 1876. History. To read about the background to these events, see History of Switzerland. Enjoying internal political stability and spared from war—phenomena unmatched elsewhere in Europe—the Swiss focused much of their attention and efforts on developing industry, agriculture, communications, and the financial sector. Because of the influence of the “railway barons,” the most prominent of whom was Alfred Escher from Zürich, the railways were built through competition between private entrepreneurs rather than in accordance with some central plan. Such centralist measures met with the opposition of not only the conservative cantons but also the francophone minority; together they managed to defeat a first draft for an amended constitution in 1872. The liberals and radicals, who completely dominated the state in the 19th century and remained a leading force into the 21st century, gradually and not always willingly integrated other political and social groups into the government: first the conservative Catholics, then the peasants’ party, and finally, during World War II, the socialists. In 1856–57 the young republic clashed with Prussia over Neuchâtel, and war seemed inevitable; but ultimately, the Prussian emperor renounced his hereditary rights to the former principality. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Yet, despite some smaller incidents (such as the conflict over the territories of Savoy with Napoleon III in 1860 as well as a clash with German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1889), Switzerland’s foreign relations were relatively smooth in the second half of the 19th century. Switzerland was formed in 1291 by an alliance of cantons against the Habsburg dynasty—the Confoederatio Helvetica (or Swiss Confederation), from which the abbreviation CH for Switzerland derives—though only in 1848, when a new constitution was … In the economic depression of the 1870s, the textile industry also lost its predominant position, while other export industries (e.g., chemicals and machine building) profited from the expanding means of communication. Although internal conflict was not wholly eliminated thereafter, it was always settled within the framework of the 1848 federal constitution. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Thus, the cantons of Uri and Ticino were connected by rail, and a direct line was inaugurated between Zürich and Milan. Must knows about the history of Switzerland. The 1874 constitution introduced a substantial innovation: direct democracy became possible through referendum and was reinforced in 1891 through initiative, the right for citizens to place an issue before the public if they were able to secure enough signatures. After similar success in other cantons, the reform movement passed at the national level the Factory Act of 1877, which heavily involved the federal government in social welfare for the first time. Because these banks were mainly interested in large investments, reformers stimulated the creation of cantonal banks to provide credit for the general public. In 1850 more than half the grain consumed was produced domestically, but by 1914 that measure stood at about one-fifth; in the same period, the number of Swiss employed in agriculture dropped from more than half to one-fourth. Economic development caused a malaise among different social groups; for example, labourers suffered from difficult working conditions, and the precapitalist elites, rural masses, and urban craftsmen all were losing their traditional sources of income. In the early years of the 20th century, the 12-mile (20-km) Simplon Tunnel and the 9-mile (14.5-km) Lötschberg Tunnel linking Bern to Brig were also opened to rail traffic. Under Roman influence, the population reached a high level of civilization and enjoyed a flourishing commerce. It still is … The Swiss eventually voted in 1898 to nationalize the main lines, and in 1902 the Swiss Federal Railways (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen) was formed. Alfred Escher, sculpture by Richard Kissling; in Zürich, Switz. Gallo-Roman culture appears to have persisted beyond the collapse of the Western empire in the 5th century, and it is not until the Carolingian period. The year 1848 was a decisive turning point in Swiss history. In other areas of economic, internal, and foreign politics too, the radical-democratic middle class opposed the liberal economic elites, whose interaction of industrial, financial, and political power tinged with nepotism was characteristic of the bourgeois capitalism of Escher’s time. August 1 is still the national holiday; Switzerland declared itself a neutral state in 1515. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! The new constitution also strengthened federal power over the army and in the areas of social and economic legislation and justice. Neutrality still plays a major role in today's politics; Switzerland is a United Nations member since 2002.