Switzerland is what kind of state

It joined the United Nations only in Surrounded by the European Union, it has vacillated between seeking closer engagement with its powerful neighbour and other international organisations, and preferring a more isolationist course.

The people are given a direct say in their own affairs under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, which has no parallel in any other country. They are invited to the polls several times a year to vote in national or regional referendums and people's initiatives.

Federal President rotating : Guy Parmelin. Switzerland is unusual in having a collective head of state, the seven-member Federal Council, which doubles up as the country's cabinet. The council was set up by the constitution of , which is still in force today.

Members are elected for four-year terms by a joint session of both houses of parliament, although in practice changes in membership are rare, making the Federal Council one of the world's most stable governments.

The election of a new female minister to the Federal Council in September gave the cabinet a majority of women for the first time in the country's history. Each year, by tradition, a different member of the council fills the largely ceremonial post of federal president on a rotating basis.

It focussed on solving its domestic conflicts but still remained an integral part of the western European economy. The next stage of Swiss history is characterised by the introduction of a kind of external governance in Switzerland. The fate of the country was first determined by Napoleon and later by the European powers during the Congress of Vienna.

This period is considered one of the most unpopular chapters in Swiss national history. The Swiss do not like to admit that all necessary political and social reforms were only introduced after French revolutionary troops invaded in This content was published on Mar 20, Mar 20, The neutrality so strongly associated with modern Switzerland originated in a congress years ago, when the Great Powers met in Vienna. The Congress of Vienna was followed by a second permanent and slow civil war that lasted for about 20 years.

This war put an end to a series of local political conflicts between the Protestant liberals and Catholic democrats. The Protestants thought that the people should be enlightened and educated in the rational spirit of Protestant ethics and that the creation of a unified state was of utmost importance. This content was published on Nov 28, Nov 28, Many people are surprised when they hear that little Bern is the Swiss capital.

Wouldn't industrial Zurich or international Geneva be more logical? Catholics believed that people should live as they wanted and should have the freedom to believe in their Catholic religion. They stressed the importance of having sovereign cantons. This content was published on Oct 10, Oct 10, Here's how, in , Switzerland made the historic decision to move to a proportional representation system at national level.

This consistent historic development has lasted for more than years without any dramatic breaks — a phenomenon that has no analogies in the history of Europe.

You can Login or register here. Your web browser is outdated. Please use a modern web browser for a better experience. Chrome Firefox Edge. This content was published on June 30, - June 30, - Igor Petrov. Other languages: 9 Deutsch de Wie wurde die Schweiz die Schweiz? Does the Swiss case provide an opportunity to revise existing theories in nationalism? For an international conference and two special issues we bring together political scientists, sociologists, historians and social psychologists from Switzerland, Western Europe and North America.

While some papers aim at making theoretical contributions and undertaking historical analyses, a second group of papers investigates national identities of national and local politicians, the larger population and young Swiss adults. This allows us to study nationalism and national identity in Switzerland from different perspectives.

Helbling, Marc, W orkshop in cooperation with the Center for Democracy Aarau, Aarau. Theoretical background and objectives Researchers of nationalism and national identity have long been attracted to Switzerland, a country that seems to contradict some of the fundamental characteristics of a nation-state.

Research design, data and methodology For an international conference and two special issues we bring together political scientists, sociologists, historians and social psychologists from Switzerland, Western Europe and North America. Main content. Selected Publications Wzbaktiv.