Helvetic Republic

On April 12, representatives of 10 cantons gathered in Aarau , where the constitution of a single and inseparable Helvetic Republic was adopted almost without discussion, replacing the former Union of 13 lands . The new constitution proclaimed the equality of all before the law , freedom of conscience, press, trade and crafts. The supreme authority was declared to belong to all citizens. Legislative power is vested in the Senate and the Grand Council, and executive power is vested in a directory of 5 members. The latter elected ministers and commanders and appointed prefects for each canton. The cantons were divided into districts, with a super-prefect in each.

First, the 13 old cantons were supplemented by Valais , , Argau , Bellinzona , Lugano , , Zargans , Thurgau and St. Gallen , and the number of cantons reached 22. But in May of the same year, Uri , Schwyz , Unterwalden and Zug were united in one canton - with the main city of Schwyz . Zargans and Glarus formed the canton of , and and St. Gallen formed the canton of . Meanwhile, the actions of the French, who imposed significant military indemnities on some cantons, annexed Geneva to France (in April 1798) and demanded immediate accession to the Helvetic Republic and other cantons, caused great excitement in the latter. Despite their weak strengths, they began to fight the French and, under the command of Aloysius von Reading, won several victories over them at Schindellegi, Rotenturm and Morgarten. Soon, however, they were forced to yield in such an unequal struggle and join the Helvetic Republic.

In August, the last unrest broke out in Nidwalden , but it was soon crushed by the French with great cruelty. Forced to sign a defensive and offensive alliance with France on August 24, 1798, the Helvetic Republic during the French war with the second coalition (1799) became the main theater of operations (see Revolutionary wars ).

... [Switzerland] in 1798 was proclaimed the Helvetic Republic (from the Latin name of the country - Helvetia). The Republican flag consisted of green, red and yellow horizontal stripes, and the emblem was the image of the legendary freedom fighter William Tell . However, five years later, the republic broke up into cantons, which no longer had a single flag. Nevertheless, a common emblem remained - the image of a Swiss warrior in a national costume and a hat with a feather, holding a halberd and a shield with the inscription "XIX cantons."

- Yuri Kurasov. The heirs of the marksman // Heraldic album (No. 6)

Austrian troops under the command of Archduke Charles entered Switzerland, occupied its eastern part, established an interim government in Zurich and announced in a proclamation of March 30 that they had come not to subjugate the Swiss, but, on the contrary, to free them from the French yoke. All this caused a popular uprising.

The government of the Helvetic Republic was put in a critical position. Lagarpe , who received dictatorial power, tried to crush the rebellion with severe measures, but failed. The helvetic directory, not feeling safe in Lucerne, retired to Bern on May 31, 1799. When luck took the side of the French, the rebellion was crushed.

Meanwhile, prolonged hostilities disastrously affected the welfare of the country. Everywhere reigned deaf dissatisfaction with the existing order. Shortly after the fall of the French directory (18 Brumaire ), the Helvetic directory was forced to relinquish power and transfer it into the hands of the executive committee (January 7, 1800). The last one on August 8, 1800 changed the constitution of 1798, replacing both councils with one legislative body. Executive power was handed to a special commission of 7 members.

This coup did not contribute to the reassurance of the country. 2 parties were formed: Unitarians , adherents of a unified Helvetic republic with centralized power, and federalists , supporters of the former cantonal system. With the assistance of Bonaparte , negotiations began between the two parties, the result of which was a new constitutional review in Malmaison (April 30, 1801). Significant powers were granted to individual cantons, the Sejm (77 members) and the Senate (25 members) were established, and the executive branch was entrusted to the Small Council (4 members).

When on September 7, 1801, the unitaries, who constituted the majority in the Sejm, managed to change the constitution in the sense of even greater centralization of power, the federalists left the Sejm. Excitement began again; power several times passed from the Unitarian to the Federalists and vice versa. The aristocratic-federalist party, having received support from Bonaparte, seized power in their hands on October 28, 1801, but did not hold it for long.

The constant unrest in Switzerland, weakening both parties, favored Bonaparte's plans, giving him the opportunity to intervene, as an intermediary, in Swiss affairs. He allowed the Unitarians to carry out a coup again (April 17, 1802) and then withdrew the French troops from Switzerland. This circumstance served as a signal for a general uprising of the federalists. The Helvetic government was forced to flee from Bern to Lausanne and requested mediation from the first consul. The latter ordered the rebels to lay down their arms and suggested sending representatives of both parties to Paris to work out a draft new constitution with them. To reinforce his demands, he ordered Ney , with an army of 12 thousand people, to enter Switzerland again.

On February 19, 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed the Act of Mediation , which was basically a compromise between the old and the new order. The centralized state ceased to exist.

The history of the Helvetic Republic has shown the appropriateness of the central government of Switzerland to address the issues of the country as a whole, as opposed to the individual cantons that dealt with issues at the local level. In the post-Napoleonic era, the differences between the cantons (in currencies, systems of units, etc.) and the perceived need for improved coordination between them were reflected in the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848 .

The leadership of the Helvetic Republic, consisting of five members, resembled the modern structure of the country's executive authority - the Federal Council of Switzerland , consisting of seven members.

The period of the Helvetic Republic in Switzerland is still controversial ^[4] . Switzerland first existed as a single country and took a step towards the creation of a new federal state . Also, the population was first identified as Swiss, and not residents of a particular canton. For some cantons, such as Vaud , Thurgau and Ticino , the republic became a period of political freedom from other cantons. On the other hand, the republic marked a time of foreign domination and revolution. For Bern , Schwyz and Nidwalden, this was a period of military defeat, followed by occupation and military suppression. In 1995, the Swiss Federal Parliament decided not to celebrate the upcoming bicentennial of the Helvetic Republic, while giving individual cantons the opportunity to celebrate this event as they wish ^[4] .

• Vodovozov V.V. , Krzhivitsky L., Richter D.I. Switzerland // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.