CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS IN THE
GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES- IRE214
Fall 2018 Session 9: Switzerland
Maya Hadar
 Important facts
 Political system
 Economy
 Foreign policy
 Referendums and initiatives
 Switzerland and the EU
Switzerland2
Switzerland
 Landlocked alpine country in Western
Europe
 41,285 square kilometres (225 times
smaller than the United States)
 Over 7 million people
 Religion
 Roman Catholic 47.6%
 Protestant 44.3%
 other 8.1%
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Switzerland
 Agricultural land 36.9%
 Settlements and urban areas 6.8%
 Unproductive land 21.3%
 Land borders with Austria, France,
Germany and Liechtenstein
 Capital: Bern
 Swiss Franc Schweizerfranken (CHF)
 1 EURO = 1.13 Francs
Graubünden
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The Swiss Cantons
 In France, the canton is a territorial division rather than a genuine unit
of local government
 It is only a convenient administrative subdivision for purposes of elections, tax
collection, and the gendarmerie
 In Switzerland, canton is the name given to each of the 23 states
comprising the Swiss Confederation
 Three cantons (Unterwalden, Basel, and Appenzell) are subdivided into
demi-cantons (half cantons) which function as full cantons
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The Swiss Cantons
 That’s why there is often
reference to 26 states of
Switzerland
 Each of the cantons and
half cantons has its own
constitution, legislature,
executive, and judiciary
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The Swiss Cantons (23)
 Zürich (ZH)
 Bern / Berne (BE)
 Luzern (LU)
 Uri (UR)
 Schwyz (SZ)
 Unterwalden (Obwalden (OW)
/ Nidwalden (NW))
 Glarus (GL)
 Zug (ZG)
 Freiburg / Fribourg (FR)
 Appenzell (Appenzell
Ausserrhoden (AR)
/Innerrhoden (AI))
 Sankt Gallen (SG)
 Graubünden (GR)
 Aargau (AG)
 Thurgau (TG)
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 Solothurn (SO)
 Basel (Basel
Stadt (BS)/ Land (BL))
 Schaffhausen (SH)
 Vaud (VD)
 Valais / Wallis (VS)
 Neuchâtel (NE)
 Genève (GE)
 Jura (JU)
 Ticino (TI)
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Switzerland
 3 official ones: German, French Italian
 Swiss don't speak the same German as
the Germans/Austrians do => "Swiss-
German”
 Each state has its own dialect
 There is no written "Swiss-German”,
they use "high German"
 4 national languages:
 Swish German, French, Italian, Romansh
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Switzerland
 4 national languages
English German French Italian Romansh
Switzerland Schweiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra
year das Jahr l'année l'anno igl onn
noon der Mittag midi il mezzogiorno il miezdi
Monday Montag Lundi lunedì gliendischdis
breakfast das Frühstück
le petit
déjeuner
la colazione l'ensolver
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Switzerland
 Tradition of political and military neutrality
 United Nations’ second largest center in Geneva
 1863 => Red Cross founded in Switzerland, still has its institutional center in
the country
Foreign Trade
 High contribution of foreign trade to the gross inland product
 46.6% of Swiss exports are delivered to other European countries
 35.6% are sold to Asian importers
 14% to North America, 1.8% going to Latin America
 1.1% bought by African importers
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Switzerland
Foreign Trade
 2017 => Switzerland shipped US$299.6 billion worth of products around
the globe
 1.9% of overall global exports for 2016, estimated at $15.952 trillion
Top Trade Partners
 Germany: US$45.4 billion (15.1% of total Swiss exports)
 United States: $36.8 billion (12.3%)
 China: $24.5 billion (8.2%)
 India: $19.8 billion (6.6%)
 France: $17.1 billion (5.7%)
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Multicultural Switzerland
Territorial Heterogeneity
The country is divided
into five zones and 23
cantons
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Multicultural Switzerland
Linguistic Diversity
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Multicultural Switzerland
Religious Diversity
Religious orders do not overlap with linguistic orders
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The Alps
 Greatest mountain range system of Europe
 Stretching from Austria in the East to France in the West
 Swiss Alps are the central portion of the mountain range
 Most commonly known for
 Swiss cheese
 Swiss chocolate
Switzerland15
Natural Disasters/Hazards
25.01.1946, Wallis
earthquake Io=8 Mw=6.1
23.10.2002 - Randa rockfall, Wallis
7.02.2003, Snow avalanche,
Walenstadt,St. Gallen
01.06.1994, Landslide Falli Hölli,
Freiburg
2003, Forestfire Loèche, Wallis
08.1987, Floods Reuss Valley, Uri
Bern 2005
Brienz 2005
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Swiss Chocolate – Fun Facts
 1697 => Heinrich Escher, mayor of Zurich, was introduced to chocolate in
Brussels and brought it home, where it was discreetly consumed
 1722 => The Zurich Council banned it (was considered an
aphrodisiac thus unfit for virtuous citizens
 1792 => The first chocolate shop in Switzerland opened
in Bern
 Swiss eat more chocolate than anyone in world
 2018 => av. 19.4 pounds per capita (12.3 kg in 2001)
 Biggest markets for Swiss chocolate producers:
Germany, UK, France, and Italy.
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Federalism
 Federalism gives the Cantons political autonomy
 Allowed rural areas, different religious and language groups to govern
themselves and to influence federal decision-making
 Requirement of majority of Cantons for constitutional amendments protects
small rural (mostly Catholic) Cantons
 However, federalism only protects minorities representing a political
majority in a sub-national unit
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Political System
Federal Government
Conceptual work and legislation
Supervision of implementation
Cantons (26)
Implementation of federal regulations
Municipalities (< 3000)
Implementation of federal
and cantonal regulations
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Political System
 The Legislative (a bicameral parliament)
 The Executive (Federal Council, a collegial government)
Federal Assembly
246 Members
Council of States
46 Members
National Council
200 Members
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Political System
 National Council => 200 deputies are elected according to a
standardized procedure, each canton representing an electoral district. The
largest cantons have many deputies (ZH with 34 and BE with 26), whereas
the smallest cantons have only one
 Council of States => Over time, there have been changes to how the 46
deputies are elected. Gradually been taken from the cantonal legislatures
and given to the people
 Popular election: they are not “real” cantonal representatives
 Need for greater cantonal representation => 1993: Conference of
Cantonal Governments
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 The Federal Council, the executive => a collegial government of 7
members
 Derives from the French First Republic, more precisely the “Constitution de l’An III”
HEAD OF STATE
PRIME MINISTER
GOVERNMENT
HEAD OF THE ADMINISTRATION
Political System22
 Zauberformel, formule magique
 Arithmetic formula for dividing the seven
executive seats of the council between the
four ruling parties
 Its collegial nature allows minorities to
be represented in the highest bodies of
the Swiss polity
Political System
 Cantons are not directly represented in the Federal Council
 ‘The Council represents the geographical and linguistic diversity of the country’
 1959 => the Federal Assembly opted for a political composition, known as
the “magic formula”
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Economy
 About two third of the area of Switzerland is covered with forests, lakes and
mountains
 Switzerland has no mineral resources => must import, process and resell
them as products
 Strong economy (banking + finance)
 Ranked as most competitive in the world by the World Economic Forum’s
Global Competitiveness Report
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Economy Sectors
The economy in Switzerland is divided into three sectors:
1. Agriculture => Less than 10% of the population is employed in the
sector, strongly supported by the government.
 Production of Swiss farmers does not fulfill the needs of the people,
Switzerland must rely on imported goods
2. Industry => About 40% of the population is employed in the industry,
trade and handicraft. Significant export market.
 Machine and metal industry, watch industry, textile industry
3. Services => More than 50% of the population is employed in this sector
 Includes banking, assurances, tourism etc.
 Banking is one of the most important businesses in Switzerland.
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Cost of Living
Germany Switzerland Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant
10.00 €
(11.31 Fr.)
21.23 €
(24.00 Fr.)
+112.25 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)
7.00 €
(7.92 Fr.)
12.38 €
(14.00 Fr.)
+76.88 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
3.50 €
(3.96 Fr.)
6.19 €
(7.00 Fr.)
+76.88 %
Milk (regular), (1 liter)
0.71 €
(0.81 Fr.)
1.38 €
(1.56 Fr.)
+93.43 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)
1.24 €
(1.40 Fr.)
2.34 €
(2.65 Fr.)
+88.96 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre
694.72 €
(785.54 Fr.)
1,256.23 €
(1,420.46 Fr.)
+80.83 %
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
2,203.19 €
(2,491.22 Fr.)
4,344.03 €
(4,911.94 Fr.)
+97.17 %
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The Swiss Army
 Conscription => compulsory enlistment of Swiss men to national service
in the army
 Ages 20 to 42
 Soldiers keep their arms at home
Automatic rifle for simple soldiers
Pistol for officers
 Many cave-like buildings have been built in mountains to serve military
purposes
 They hold arms, supplies for crisis, and even fighter planes
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Swiss Political System
 Direct democracy
 The system of initiative and referendum is a modern form of popular assembly
(has all its features), suitable for large number of people and decisions
 Laws are created in four steps:
1. Draft by the administration
2. Consultation of federal states, political parties, entrepreneurs, unions, other interested
groups
3. Parliamentary debate and final version passed
4. Possibility of a referendum
Referendum is Latin for ‘referral’ or ‘referring’ of a certain matter to the public for their vote
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Referendums and initiatives
 Amendments to the constitution => mandatory referendum
 Amendments to legislation => optional referendum
 Requests to change the constitution => initiative
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Referendums
 Similar to a veto, has the effect of delaying &
safeguarding the political process by
blocking/delaying amendments adopted by parliament
or the government
 A referendum is only called if enough signatures are
collected
 However, the authorities are obliged to hold a
referendum if the legislation involves an amendment to
the constitution initiated by the government, or any
proposal for Switzerland to sign a major international
agreement
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Referendums
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Referendum’s Stastistics
1848 – 1950
1951 –
1980
1981 –
2011
(Feb.) Total
Mandatory referendums 63 75 74 212
Accepted 43 58 57 158
Declined 20 17 17 54
Declined % 31.7 22.7 23.0 25.5
Optional referendums 54 37 76 167
Accepted 20 19 54 93
Declined 34 18 22 74
Accepted
% 37.0 51.4 71.1 55.7
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Initiatives
 Federal popular initiative (Eidgenössische
Volksinitiative, Initiative populaire fédérale) is an
instrument of direct democracy in Switzerland
 It allows citizens to propose changes to the Swiss
Federal Constitution
 1893 => first initiative under the current system was
accepted
 Recently initiatives:
 Cutting military spending (rejected)
 Limiting the foreign population to 18% (rejected)
 Banning the production and sale of absinthe (accepted).
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 The vast majority are
rejected, BUT
 The concerns they address
give rise to broad debate
 Eventually translated
(partially) into new laws
 Makes the political system more open, any political group may influence the
political agenda
Initiatives’ Statistics34
 Sunday (25.11), final set of votes
in 2018:
 Put the Swiss constitution above
international law
 Legal measures aimed at
boosting the powers of social
welfare detectives
 Promote cows with horns
Initiatives’ Statistics35
Important foreign affairs’ decisions
 December 6, 1992: Switzerland refuses to join the
European Economic Area
Citizens yes: 49.7%; Cantons yes: 6 2/2 yes; turnout: 78.7%
March 3, 2002: Switzerland joins the United Nations (first
vote on March 16, 1986, “no”)
 Citizens yes: 54.6%; Cantons yes: 11 2/2 yes; turnout: 58.4%
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Foreigners in Switzerland
 In recent years, the number
of foreigners in
Switzerland increased at a
faster rate than the
number of Swiss
 More than 2.1 million
foreigners in
Switzerland, 24.9% of the
total population
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Foreigners in Switzerland
 Babies born to foreign
citizens in Switzerland
do not automatically
get Swiss citizenship
 Largest diaspora
within Switzerland
=> Italians,
Germans, Portuguese
and French
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Particular issues (national level):
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The Minaret Controversy
 The minaret controversy=> construction of
minarets in Switzerlans has been subject to legal
and political controversy during the 2000’s
 November 2009 referendum => a constitutional
amendment banning the construction of new
minarets was approved by 57.5%.
 Only 4 of 26 cantons, mostly in the French-speaking
part of Switzerland, opposed the initiative
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The Minaret Controversy41
1992: Joining the European Economic Area?
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1994: Pay when you use the motorway43
2013: Initiative to Send Back Criminal Foreigners
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Switzerland and the EU
 Swiss tradition of neutrality (WWI & WWII)
 Self-imposed
 Permanent
 Armed
 Nationalistic government not interested in
ceding sovereignty
 Economic policies are designed to protect local
industries (esp. agriculture) from foreign
competition
 Switzerland has embarked on a policy of building bilateral agreements
with the EU rather than joining outright
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Costs of Staying Out
 Export problems
 Access to EU markets is not guaranteed
 Inflation problems
 Europeans nervous about the Euro due to expansion of the EU invest in Swiss
Francs, inflating the value of the currency and restricting Swiss exports
 Capital flight
 High construction costs, expensive labor, skill shortages already make
investment in Switzerland unattractive
 Several multinational corporations, such as Roche, Sulzer and Alusuisse, have
frozen planned investment projects in Switzerland
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Costs of Staying Out
 Large Swiss companies, including Nestle, are shifting activities out of
Switzerland in fear of discrimination by other nations
 Already four out of five employees of the top 15 Swiss companies work in
other countries
 Scientific information lag
 EU scientific exchange programs accept Swiss citizens only if they fail to fill
such exchanges with persons from EU countries
 Accumulated bilateral agreements and cooperation may create de-facto
incorporation in the EU for Switzerland
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Conflict Resolution in Switzerland
 Before 1848 => History not so peaceful
 Four classical cleavages:
 Religion: Catholics- Protestants
 Languages: German-French (Italian and Romansch)
 Economy I: Urban regions- rural regions
 Economy II: Class conflict: capitalist-worker interest
 How was it possible to resolve deep societal conflicts in a peaceful
way? Power sharing in political institutions!
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Important to remember49
Next Session...
 Switzerland II
 Direct Democracy
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51
Thank You For Your Attention!
Questions???