Swiss Confederation
Switzerland, 1848 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
The modern Swiss federal state came into being when the federal constitution became effective on September 12, 1848. A new constitution in 1848 established the current federal system and enshrined principles such as individual rights, separation of powers, and parliamentary bicameralism. Switzerland has maintained a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century and has not fought an international war since 1815. It joined the Council of Europe in 1964 and the United Nations in 2002.
Seat of power: Bern
Rulers
Wilhelm Matthias Naeff
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1848–1875
He headed the Department of Posts and Construction from 1848 to 1852, and later the Department of Finance from 1873 to 1875. In 1853, he was President of the Confederation, presiding the council. He stayed there for 27 years, considerably longer than all of his counterparts from that time.
Portrait of Wilhelm Matthias Naeff: Carl Durheim, Public domain, file
Friedrich Frey-Herosé
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1848–1866
He headed the Department of Trade and Customs from 1848 to 1853 and again from 1861 to 1866. He was President of the Confederation twice, in 1854 and 1860.
Portrait of Friedrich Frey-Herosé: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Josef Martin Knüsel
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1855–1875
He headed the Department of Finance in 1855 and 1856, and the Department of Justice and Police from 1867 to 1873. As a civilian, he was not allowed to become involved in the Military Department. In 1860, while in charge of the Department of Trade and Customs, he favored a tunnel through the Alps to connect northern Europe with Italy.
Portrait of Josef Martin Knüsel: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Emil Welti
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1867–1891
As Secretary of Defense, Welti pushed for the merger of the individual cantonal armies into a national army. He was able to enforce his most important concern, the unification of law, in the final constitution of 1874. He was able to convince Italy and the German Reich to support the Gotthard project and to subsidize it.
Portrait of Emil Welti: Karl Stauffer-Bern, Public domain, file
Louis Ruchonnet
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1875–1893
He was responsible for the departments of Trade and Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, and Justice and Police. He served twice as President of the Confederation, first in 1883 and again in 1890.
Portrait of Louis Ruchonnet: unkwown, Public domain, file
Bernhard Hammer
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1876–1890
He reorganised the federal finances and the previously unimportant Finance Department. During his term of office, he also introduced the military duty substitute tax, created the Banknote Act and revised the Coinage Act. He held the Department of Finance from 1876 to 1878 and from 1880 to 1890.
Portrait of Bernhard Hammer: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Walter Hauser
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1888–1902
He headed the Military Department from 1889 to 1890 and the Department of Finance from 1891 to 1899. He was President of the Confederation twice, in 1892 and 1900.
Portrait of Walter Hauser: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Eduard Müller
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1895–1919
He held the Department of Justice and Police from 1895 to 1897 and again from 1914 to 1919. He held the Military Department from 1897 to 1898, from 1900 to 1906 and from 1908 to 1911. He was President of the Confederation in 1899, 1907 and 1913, heading the Political Department in those years.
Portrait of Eduard Müller: Fritz Fuss, Public domain, file
Edmund Schulthess
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1912–1935
He held the Department of Trade, Industry and Agriculture from 1912 to 1914 and the Department of Economic Affairs from 1915 to 1935. He was President of the Swiss Confederation four times, in 1917, 1921, 1928 and 1933.
Portrait of Edmund Schulthess: Carl Jost (1899-1967), CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Marcel Pilet-Golaz
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1928–1944
He headed the Department of Home Affairs in 1929 and then the Department of Posts and Railways from 1930 to 1939. As the head of the foreign affairs, he had to find a balance between the German requirements, the objections of the Allies and the will of Switzerland to stay independent. His choice to build a relatively good rapport with Nazi Germany was very disputed, during as well as after the war.
Portrait of Marcel Pilet-Golaz: Carl Jost 07.11.1899 - 05.10.1967 Copyright beim Staatsarchiv Bern, Freigabe zur Weiternutzung gemäss: http://www.sta..., CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Philipp Etter
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1934–1959
He held the Department of Home Affairs and was President of the Confederation four times between 1939 and 1953. During World War II, he took a decidedly conservative, adaptable friendly policy toward Nazi Germany and a particularly considerate attitude towards Italy. The Swiss policy towards Jewish refugees was tightened after a decree from Etter in August 1942.
Portrait of Philipp Etter: René Hourdry (document original et scan perso), CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Kurt Furgler
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1971–1986
He held the Federal Department of Justice and Police from 1972 to 1982 and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs from 1983 to 1986. He advocated equal rights for women, and initiated economic reforms and modernized immigration and Swiss family law. Furgler demanded a strong central government but failed to establish a Swiss federal police due to strong opposition from the left and confederated forces of the right.
Portrait of Kurt Furgler: Comet Photo AG (Zürich), CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Jean-Pascal Delamuraz
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1983–1998
He held the Federal Military Department from 1984 to 1986 and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs from 1987 to 1998. He fought for Switzerland's membership of the European Economic Area and of the World Trade Organization, and played a decisive role in shaping the new Swiss agricultural policy. He started the bilateral negotiations that led to the adoption of seven agreements with the European Union.
Portrait of Jean-Pascal Delamuraz: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Moritz Leuenberger
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1995–2010
Leuenberger headed the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications for the whole of his tenure. The name of the department was changed in 1998 to incorporate the term "Environment". In 2009 he received the Political Award at the European Railway Awards for his work to build and maintain a sustainable transportation policy.
Portrait of Moritz Leuenberger: Bundeskanzlei, Attribution, file
Martin Pfister
Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 2025 to today
He has served as a Federal Councillor since 2025, heading the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. In 2025, Pfister was elected into the Federal Council to replace Viola Amherd.
Portrait of Martin Pfister: Schweizerische Bundeskanzlei, Attribution, file
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Culture
- Switzerland is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with Bern serving as the federal city and the seat of the national government.
- The country encompasses four principal linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
- The oldest part of the Federal Palace is the west wing, built from 1852 to 1857 under Jakob Friedrich Studer. The parliament building in the center was erected between 1894 and 1902 to conclude the project.
- Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross.
Picture
The Federal Palace is a building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly and the Federal Council.
Image: Mike Lehmann, Mike Switzerland (talk) 05:54, 14 July 2010 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.