Swiss Watching: Inside the Land of Milk and Money

by Diccon Bewes

The name is derived from the Helvetii, one of the local pre-Roman tribes, and the literal English translation is the Helvetic Confederation. But for a country that prides itself on accuracy – and not just in its train timetables – it’s ironic that its official name is technically incorrect. Until a rather civil civil war in 1847, Switzerland was indeed a confederation, or a loose alliance of autonomous states who more or less cooperated with each other. It was barely a country, in the modern sense of the word, but was definitely more than the sum of its parts. The new state created in 1848 was a federation in everything but name. Despite having a shiny new federal government, the Swiss decided to keep their old title. It might have been inaccurate but it made them feel better about the new-fangled structure, which seemed so centralised and therefore very un-Swiss. And, more significantly for the Swiss, using the old name gives them an unbroken link to their past, something which is fundamental to every Swiss person.