A Concise History of Switzerland

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.

This comprehensive and engaging history of Switzerland traces the uncommon development of its society and state from its medieval origins to the present. The authors provide a fresh view that places Swiss history within a European context, adding a new perspective to the history of Europe as a whole.

Clive Church is Emeritus Professor of European Studies at the University of Kent, Canterbury. He has also been a Fellow of the French CNRS, a Visiting Professor at the University of Sussex and a National Research Fund Fellow at the Universität Freiburg in Switzerland. His recent publications include Swiss Politics and Government (2004) and, as editor, Switzerland and the EU (2006).
Randolph Head is Professor of European History at the University of California. He has held fellowships from the Institute for Advanced Study, the American Philosophical Society and the Newberry Library. His publications on early modern Switzerland include numerous articles and essays along with two books, Early Modern Democracy in the Grisons (1995) and Jenatsch's Axe (2008).