| Question Home |
Position:Home>History> How was Switzerland able to stay out of both World Wars?Question: How was Switzerland able to stay out of both World Wars!? In the midst of all the bloodshed and surrounded by countries who all hated each other, how was Switzerland able to do it!? How could they stay neutral when Germany and the Austro-Hungarians were destroying everyone in their paths!?
I know the answer to the question, I just want to see your answer!. Thanks!Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: By minding their own business, steering clear of foreign entanglements, and having a very strong defense!. Switzerland does not get involved in intervening in the affairs of other nations!. And Switzerland has a government that realizes that a heavily armed citizenry is a national asset!. The Swiss jealously guard their freedoms, and keep an eye on their politicians!. We could learn a lot from the Swiss!.Www@QuestionHome@Com This is interesting see what you think of this info about ww1 and 2!. In 1920 all major nations confirmed, that Switzerland's neutrality towards warfaring nations as fixed on the 1815 Vienna Conference on post-Napoleon international relations would still be respected!. According to the V!. and XIII!. Hague convention concerning the rights and obligations of neutral states in land and naval warfare of 1907, neutrality includes some central contingencies like the internment of foreign troops, the prohibition of their passage or the prohibition of national supplies of war material to warfaring nations!. Important ranges remained however excluded, in particular the whole private foreign trade, also the private trade with war material!. Switzerland had asked for international confirmation of it's neutrality in 1920 before becoming a member of the League of Nations (the predecessor to the United Nations Organization)!. During the 1920's and the 1930's Switzerland expressed its readiness to take part in economic sanctions if officially imposed by the League of Nations!. In 1938 however, the League of Nation council relieved Switzerland formally from the obligation to participate in sanctions!. Www@QuestionHome@Com All the legal guarantees count for nothing once the bullets start flying!. The Swiss were able to stay out of the war because they did not wish to become involved and they were armed well enough to make sure that any invader would pay a disproportionate price for the conquest of Switzerland- assuming it were successful!. Friendship pacts, international guarantees and Conventions are nice, but Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands and Dennmark all had these- and a fat lot of good it did them Lots of well armed, well trained citizens - that is the solution!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Switzerland was armed and ready to fight behind its easily defended terrain for both wars!. It also played both sides off against each other during both wars aiding in some ways one or the other side!. It offered no real political or economic advantage if seized versus the cost of 1) taking it and 2) holding it!. It was quite simply better off left aloneWww@QuestionHome@Com Because they were content to bank the money from dead JewsWww@QuestionHome@Com |