How Does Switzerland Always Stay Neutral?

If you want an easy answer to this question, you might be satisfied with, “Switzerland stays neutral because the people and the government leaders want it that way.” But there is a lot of history and a whole bunch of details to the saga of this landlocked European country and its amazing record of neutrality.

A Bit of History

Switzerland has not been involved in a military conflict outside its borders for nearly 200 years. In fact, the last recorded military action the country’s soldiers took part in occurred in 1815. While military personnel have not been actively involved in fighting on foreign soil, the country has shown some tendency to assist other nations during conflict.

Historians write that Switzerland’s philosophy of neutrality is based on the fear of being invaded or taken over by larger countries that surround it. The theory is that Switzerland’s leaders avoid getting involved so that France, Germany, Austria and Italy won’t have reason to take sides against Switzerland in a future conflict.

Tradition and treaties keep other nations from planning to invade or invading Switzerland. In addition, it is generally unacceptable for other countries to use Swiss locations as staging areas for fighting in other countries.

Inside the Borders

While the tradition of neutrality gives this country a reputation as peace-loving and anti-military, the truth is there have been some violent conflicts within the country, especially between religious groups. When the United States and several European countries formed the League of Nations in the early part of the 20th century, government leaders in Switzerland made the decision to stay away from the organization until other countries recognized it as officially neutral.

In the first great war of the 20th century (World War I) the Swiss did not provide much military assistance to its European neighbors on either side of the conflict. But other countries did cross into Swiss airspace with military aircraft and did send soldiers onto the Swiss soil. This led to formal protests from the Swiss government.

There is some question about Swiss neutrality during World War II. Some government leaders of that era stated that Switzerland provided economic assistance to Germany, though military help was not obvious to outside observers. There were instances of Swiss citizens helping Nazi sympathizers and German leaders cross into and through Switzerland to avoid battle or capture by the Allied Forces.

History since about 1800 records few, if any, Swiss involvement in military activity outside its own borders. But the tradition and practice of neutrality may go back several hundred years before that. Some historians write that Switzerland has been a neutral country since the time of the Roman Empire. Swiss citizens do train with military weapons and the country has invested in larger armaments. Switzerland is not an anti-military country, but it has remained apart from fighting for centuries. To some, the all-inclusive term “neutrality” doesn’t apply to the country. Those who feel this way believe that “inactive” outside its own borders is more accurate.