Author: Maarten Koning

In the last edition of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung am Sonntag of 2023, the Financial Times correspondent asked, ‘Ist die Schweiz sympathisch?’ (Is Switzerland sympathetic?)

He then lists several examples of Switzerland’s image abroad: prosperous by Jewish assets and looted goods, neutrality and profiting from World War II (1939-1945), the banking secret and dirty and criminal money, an ‘American Constitution’, isolationist and not caring about the outside world, in short, the usual cliched stereotypes apparently intended to elicit an emotional reaction.

Basel, Fasnacht 2024

 How well do foreigners know Switzerland?

The title of his article needs to be corrected. It should read, ‘How well do foreigners (and this correspondent) know Switzerland?’ This correspondent’s knowledge is as superficial, incorrect and tendentious as the verdict of holidaymakers on their way to their Swiss destination: ‘Basel is an ugly city’.

They base their judgment on tunnels and industrial areas viewed from motorways without visiting the city. The same applies to the European Union’s self-proclaimed ‘Switzerland expert’ Andreas Schwab. He recently stated that Switzerland isolates itself (Die Schweiz schottet sich ab) because a (large) majority of citizens do not want to be a member of the EU.

Basel

Neutrality

The country always defended itself against the German Reich and Italy in 1939-1945. Switzerland was the only European country not formally represented at the parade on April 20, 1939 (the 50th birthday of Hitler) because Germany had invaded Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

German- and Italian-speaking Swiss citizens overwhelmingly opposed an Anschluss or Irredentismo. Instead, they voted overwhelmingly for multilingualism, democracy and their multicultural society, as evidenced by the acceptance of Romansh as the fourth national language in 1938. Brown or black parties have never played a significant role, unlike in the Netherlands, France, or Romania, not to mention Germany, Austria, Hungary, or Italy.

Einsiedeln, Kanton Schwyz, ‘Toblerones’, anti-tank defences put in place during 1940-1945. They reflect the genuine threat of a German invasion which existed at the time

Despite France’s fast capitulation in June 1940 and being surrounded by ruthless dictatorships, Switzerland defended itself and regularly shot down German planes. The will and capability to protect itself through the Réduit strategy, along with popular support, were clear to the dictators. The price of an invasion no longer outweighed the advantages of transiting through a neutral country. However, the threat of invasion remained ever-present (Operation Tannenbaum), as the German invasion of Hungary in March 1944 also showed.

Gland, La Villa rose. Photo: Wikipedia

Switzerland did have to make compromises, including trading with the enemy, as all (neutral and occupied) countries did: France (Vichy), Russia (a close ally of Germany until June 22 1941), Sweden and Finland (an ally of Germany until 1944) in the first place.

The closing of borders to some (Jewish) refugees before and during the war is a black page, but again, Switzerland was not the exception but the rule. America, the Netherlands, Canada and the UK had the same policy until 1940. And per capita, Switzerland accepted many (Jewish) refugees.

Moreover, neutrality was accepted as early as 1648 (Peace of Westphalia). At the time of the Congress of Vienna (1815), the new Confederation was rewarded for resisting the French dictator and its (military) value was recognised as a neutral country.

As the only occupied territory, Napoleon had to abandon his ambitions of a unitary state (the Helvetic Republic 1798-1803) on the French model due to the resistance of the cantons! The Confederation of sovereign cantons was reinstated and was the basis for the new Confederation in 1815.

Photo:Franzoseneinfall in Nidwalden, www.franzoseneinfall.ch

Ukraine, the scandal and the (new) European shame 

This neutrality is not set in stone and has been subject to adaptation in response to new circumstances (membership in the UN, the ECHR, and cooperation with NATO). Therefore, it is not ‘scandalous’ (this correspondent) that the country does not export tanks to Ukraine. He also ignores current political and public discussions and changes on the issue.

If the country has never made any promises, it cannot be disappointing or scandalous. In contrast, the European Union, Germany, France and the Netherlands act shamefully and fail to keep promises and (NATO) agreements.

Banking secrecy

Swiss banking secrecy was not created for dirty or criminal money from foreigners, but as a reflection of the privacy of the very discreet Swiss. This system has been massively abused, especially after 1945, by foreigners, whose tax morals are considerably worse. Swiss bankers are no better or worse than bankers in other countries and take the opportunities presented.

This principle of fairness also applies to unclaimed Jewish assets from after 1945. Jewish survivors could withdraw and retrieve their money or (looted) goods after the war without any problem. The Anne Frank family is just one example.

They stayed in Switzerland (a part of the family since 1929), and Otto Frank, Anne’s father, founded the Anne Frank Foundation in 1945 and initiated the publication of her diary in Basel. The problem was the small number of Jewish survivors and, consequently, the limited number of those authorised to have access. There were often no direct heirs, and nobody knew about bank accounts or (stolen) art of those who had perished.

Opekta in Amsterdam was the business of the Frank family, operating in Germany, the Netherlands (since 1933), and Switzerland (since 1929). The street (Merwedeplein) of the house of the Franks is on the right. Photo: TES. Exhibition ‘Anne Frank und die Schweiz’. Nationalmuseum Zürich

It only became topical with the tracing of mostly very indirect heirs by mostly commission-driven lawyers. These often very distant heirs frequently knew nothing about these relatives, and the same applies to the stolen or looted goods. That family members are entitled to these properties is obvious, but there needs to be specific legal proof. That can be a problem in a hierarchical, rigid, bureaucratic banking system.

That indirect family members and their lawyers primarily sought personal profit, and not justice, is also evident from the fact that only a few donated precious art or their ‘inheritance’ to museums or charities.

Of course, there are issues such as looted gold from other countries, other looted art or, for example, the “J” in passports after 1938. The handling could and should have been different. But it is easy and anachronistic to criticise in hindsight without the context of a time when nobody knew how the war would end and the permanent threat of subsequent dictatorships.

However, the English correspondent emphasises these stereotypes and moral (pre-)judgements without providing historical, legal, and social context.

Swiss circles

Swiss academic and (self-appointed) intellectual circles also often portray the country as medieval, isolationist, and selfish. They have already written many Books and articles on the ‘backwards’ William Tell story, the creation of Switzerland thanks to European superpowers or the ‘shameful’ rejection of EU membership.

It is as if academics in other countries question the existence of Romulus and Remus, the cross of Constantine, the goddess Athena, or the revolutionary Marianne. It is irrelevant whether William Tell existed or not. The beautiful (mythical) story symbolises the Zeitgeist around 1300 in Central Switzerland (Innerschweiz).

City Hall of Fribourg/Freiburg and the Eternal Peace Treaty with France, 1516

The historical development of the Eidgenossenschaft of Orte (from the 16th century, also called cantons) from the 13th century onwards is a fact. Its military and political prestige, following its many victories over the powerful Habsburgs (1315-1499), the Burgundians (1476-1477), and the Dukes of Savoy (1536), was great.

Without the Eidgenossenschaft, there would probably have been a kingdom of Burgundy instead of a French kingdom in 1500. France needed the Eidgenossenschaft after 1516 because of the quality of its soldiers, traffic routes, (textile) industry and traders.

Cosmopolitan

Moreover, Switzerland developed into a unique direct ‘militia’ democracy after 1848 through innovation, education, industry, trade, openness, entrepreneurship and the development of a federal, decentralised and multicultural state.

It has nothing to do with an American-style Constitution, which this correspondent falsely claims. He relies solely on the Senate (Ständerat), which is indeed based on the American model, but so what! It mainly shows the cosmopolitan and open character of the country.

Basel, Haus zur Mücke, Europe’s first museum

Moreover, the country has been at the centre of Europe since Celtic and Roman times. It has always been internationally oriented with a vast interest in other cultures, trade, art and science.

This correspondent could read publications (also available in English) on the centuries-old global citizenship of traders and entrepreneurs in textiles, watch and clock making, raw materials, foodstuffs, Zuckerbäcker, ceramics, finance, mechanical engineering, shipping, shoes, hair combs or chocolate, to mention just a few examples and leaving aside the countless soldiers, students, political advisers, scientists, artists, architects and other professions abroad. Consequently, this innovative country has a very high number of patents today.

Refugees and multiculturalism

That Swiss live in ‘exile in their own country’ (Die Schweizer leben, ohne es zu bemerken, in einer Art Exil. Sie sind betäubt, unempfindlich gegenüber den problemen der Welt. Die Psychologie des Exils) and do not care about (misery in) other countries is also a (bad) joke.

The Red Cross, the first international arbitration in Geneva in 1869, Bourbaki or Strasbourg in 1871, the Mission in Basel, French soldiers in 1914-1918, Huguenots and other religiously persecuted in the 16th and 17th centuries, Erasmus, Edward Gibbon, Lord Byron, Josephine de Beauharnais, Rousseau, Calvin, Madame de Staël, Chaplin, Rilke, Kirchner, French, Italian, German and Russian political refugees in the 19th century, Dada or, for example, the world’s first (ethnographic) museums tell a different story. Switzerland still receives many refugees, thanks to a relatively effective integration system.

George Kuhnt, Konditorei Barth & Cloetta, Breslau, c. 1854. Ausstellung ‘Die Bünder Auswanderungsgeschichte von Zuckerbäckern’.

Every day, nearly 400,000 French, Italians and Germans from the (impoverished) European Union travel to this small country for well-paid jobs; hundreds of thousands live and work in Switzerland permanently.

Many residents are from non-Swiss backgrounds and usually integrate well. Citizenship should be deserved, however, and is not a right in itself because citizens are the real politicians with rights and obligations.

The centuries-old cooperation among different regions, cantons, languages, and contacts with foreign countries also contribute to this mentality. The diversity of the centuries-old bishoprics indicates the country’s multicultural and cosmopolitan character.

The Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

Conclusion

The correspondent, Sam Jones, is not a caricature of a correspondent or journalist. He symbolises today’s journalists’ often poor educational level, commitment, and activism. He is in the good company of, for example, Johannes Ritter of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung or of a reporter of the Guardian, who cried ‘Swiss racism’ when the coloured CEO of Credit Suisse was (too late) fired because of his (and others’) financial if not criminal mismanagement and misbehaviour.

Basel, Fasnacht 2024

Foreigners often have access to these sources, but expats are frequently uninterested. This correspondent confirms the decline of the credibility of mainstream journalism and many newspapers. Fortunately, he found his place in Europe’s Woke capital (after Amsterdam).

Switzerland is neither a paradise, alas, nor an island, and its citizens are not better or worse than anywhere else. Switzerland, nevertheless, remains an oasis of direct democracy, civil society, Europe’s best newspapers, and common sense in the midst of an often uncomfortable and, in many respects, challenging EU/Europe.

Or, in the words of the Hungarian writer Sándor Márai (1900-1989):

“Wonderful Switzerland had remained itself. And staying itself is, after all, as heroic as panicking for the truth. Some cases can only be won on appeal, and this small island in Europe has stubbornly and consistently relied on winning on appeal for the past century. Switzerland should not be ashamed to be left out (of WWII). It is enough that I am ashamed of being there and being unable to do anything. Don’t be ashamed of guarding the rocky borders of your small country where the people dared to say ‘no’, with all its consequences.

Nor should you be ashamed of living in capitalism because, for now, this system functions satisfactorily: wherever you look, well-paid people are doing jobs, and everyone respects other people’s property (Sándor Márai, Memoir of Hungary 1944-1948, ‎Central European University Press, 2001).

The Constitution of the Swiss Confederation, Bern, 12.9.1848. Copy at the exhibition ‘Zum Geburtstag viel Recht. 175 Jahre ‘Bundesverfassung’, Landesmuseum Zürich.