A Concise History of Switzerland

This comprehensive and engaging new history traces Switzerland's changeable development from its medieval origins to the present.

Clive H. Church (Author), Randolph C. Head (Author)

9780521143820, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 May 2013

339 pages, 54 b/w illus. 3 maps
21.6 x 13.8 x 1.6 cm, 0.48 kg

'Before visiting Switzerland, read A Concise History of Switzerland, by Clive H Church and Randolph Conrad Head.' H. E. Jacques Pitteloud, Condé Nast Traveler

Despite its position at the heart of Europe and its quintessentially European nature, Switzerland's history is often overlooked within the English-speaking world. This comprehensive and engaging history of Switzerland traces the historical and cultural development of this fascinating but neglected European country from the end of the Dark Ages up to the present. The authors focus on the initial Confederacy of the Middle Ages; the religious divisions which threatened it after 1500 and its surprising survival amongst Europe's monarchies; the turmoil following the French Revolution and conquest, which continued until the Federal Constitution of 1848; the testing of the Swiss nation through the late nineteenth century and then two World Wars and the Depression of the 1930s; and the unparalleled economic and social growth and political success of the post-war era. The book concludes with a discussion of the contemporary challenges, often shared with neighbours, that shape the country today.

List of illustrations
List of figures
List of maps
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction: making the Swiss: time, myth and history
1. Before Switzerland: lordship, communities and crises, c.1000–1386
2. Creating the Swiss Confederacy, 1386–1520
3. A divided Switzerland in Reformation Europe, 1515–1713
4. The Ancien Regime, 1713–1798
5. Revolution and contention, 1798–1848
6. Forging the new nation, 1848–1914
7. The shocks of war, 1914–1950
8. The Sonderfall years, 1950–1990
9. Since 1989: a return to normality?
Chronology
Glossary
Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB], European history [HBJD], History [HB]