In 1798, the revolutionary French government invaded Switzerland and imposed a new unified constitution. This centralised the government of the country, effectively abolishing the cantons: moreover, Mülhausen joined France and the Valtellina valley became part of the Cisalpine Republic, separating from Switzerland. The new regime, known as the Helvetic Republic, was highly unpopular. An invading foreign army had imposed and destroyed centuries of tradition, making Switzerland nothing more than a French satellite state. The fierce French suppression of the Nidwalden Revolt in September 1798 was an example of the oppressive presence of the French Army and the local population’s resistance to the occupation.
When war broke out between France and its rivals, Russian and Austrian forces invaded Switzerland. The Swiss refused to fight alongside the French in the name of the Helvetic Republic. In 1803 Napoleon organised a meeting of the leading Swiss politicians from both sides in Paris. The Act of Mediation was the result, which largely restored Swiss autonomy and introduced a Confederation of 19 cantons. Henceforth, much of Swiss politics would concern balancing the cantons’ tradition of self-rule with the need for a central government.
In 1815 the Congress of Vienna fully re-established Swiss independence, and the European powers agreed to recognise Swiss neutrality permanently. Swiss troops still served foreign governments until 1860 when they fought in the Siege of Gaeta. The treaty also allowed Switzerland to increase its territory, with the admission of the cantons of Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva. Switzerland’s borders have not changed since, except for some minor adjustments.
The clock tower, Berne, Town, Switzerland
Gross and Klein Laufenburg, Aargau, Switzerland
The Ursern Valley, Andermatt, Switzerland
The Ursern Valley, Andermatt, Switzerland
Heiden, Appenzell, Switzerland
From Hotel Bellevue, Berne, Switzerland
Lausanne, general view, Geneva Lake, Switzerland
Montreux, general view, Geneva Lake, Switzerland
Ouchy, Hotel de Chateaux, Geneva Lake, Switzerland
Vevey, general view, Geneva Lake, Switzerland
Schwanden, Glarus, Switzerland
Engadine, Maloja, Lake of Sils, Grisons, Switzerland
St. Moritz, general view, Grisons, Switzerland
