Switzerland

As a neutral country, Switzerland was not involved in the devastating military conflicts of 1914-18. Nevertheless, concerning the economy, communications, diplomacy, secret services and war propaganda, it was intensely entangled with the “Great War.” From August 1914 onwards, the Swiss authorities governed with extra-constitutional emergency law, which was called a “plenipotentiary regime.” The government, in line with export-oriented companies, was guided by the goal of benefiting from the advantages of a continent at war. Together with its neutrality und its humanitarian mission, this criterion of utility was the backbone of the national security policy. This article describes Switzerland's internal tensions and contradictory transnational ties in the context of the “Great War” and shows how social conflicts and political radicalization resulted in a major national strike by November 1918.