The Making of Modern Switzerland, 1848-1998

by Edited by Michael Butler, Malcolm Pender and Joy Charnley

• ISBN13: 9780312234591
• ISBN10: 0312234597
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2000-11-04
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

A fascinating collection of essays by leading British and Swiss scholars that explore the development of Swiss democracy from 1848 to the present day. Culture and literature, politics and economics are looked at in turn in an attempt to unravel the extraordinary success of this microcosmic, multicultural society at the heart of Europe. The problems of contemporary Switzerland, faced with rapid changes within the European Union, are outlined with refreshing candor. The question is posed whether the country can retain its distinctive identity and traditional attitudes while at the same time seeking closer cooperation with the newly emerging Europe and accepting the challenges of the globalized economy.

Author Biography

Michael Butler is Head of the Department of German Studies, University of Bingham. Malcolm Pender is Professor of German Studies, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Joy Charnley is Lecturer in French, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Notes on the Contributors	xi
Part I
The 1848 Conflicts and their Significance in Swiss Historiography	3	(32)
Thomas Maissen
Contemporary Reactions to `1848' by Writers and Intellectuals	35	(12)
Remy Charbon
How to Create a National Myth: Switzerland Reflected in its Contemporary Writing	47	(28)
Urs Bugmann
Part II
Reforming the Swiss Federal Constitution: an International Lawyer's Perspective	75	(22)
Thomas Cottier
Swiss Politics Today	97	(14)
Wolf Linder
Finding a New Role in International Conflict Resolution: Switzerland after the End of the Cold War	111	(12)
Andrew Williams
The Swiss Economy: Facing the Future	123	(14)
Dominik Furgler
Redefining Swiss Relations with Europe	137	(24)
Clive H. Church
Index	161