Switzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on 12 September 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution in response to a 27-day civil war, the Sonderbundskrieg. The constitution, which was heavily influenced by the United States Constitution and the ideas of the French Revolution, was modified several times during the following decades and wholly replaced in 1999. The 1848 constitution represented the first time, other than when the short-lived Helvetic Republic had been imposed, that the Swiss had a central government instead of being simply a collection of autonomous cantons bound by treaties.
The federal troops during the Sonderbund war
The Federal Constitution of 1848
Swiss Federal Constitution
The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland.
Cover of the German version
Memorial page to mark the revision of the federal constitution of 1874, featuring the motto "Einer für alle, alle für einen" ("One for all, all for one").