A Concise History of Switzerland (Cambridge Concise Histories)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: New, 5/23/2013
EAN 9780521143820, ISBN10: 0521143829
Paperback, 340 pages, 21.6 x 13.8 x 2 cm
Language: English
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.
Advance praise: 'These two specialists of pre-modern and modern Switzerland offer a cohesive narrative that not only highlights the particularities of Swiss history, but also its deep interrelations with European and global developments. Regardless of their excellent knowledge of even the most recent Swiss historiography, Head and Church take up a stance of their own in appraising achievements and shortcomings of a small but economically important country.' Thomas Maissen, Chair of Early Modern History, University of Heidelberg and author of Geschichte der Schweiz