After World War II, Swiss authorities considered the construction of a nuclear bomb. Leading nuclear physicists at the Federal Institute of Technology such as Paul Scherrer made this a realistic possibility, and in 1962 the population clearly voted in favour of the bomb. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 was seen as a valid alternative, however, and the bomb was never built. Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a federal state of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably putting them among the worlds oldest surviving republics. ... This article is part of the History of Switzerland series and covers the history on the territory of modern-day Switzerland from the earliest settlements up to the beginning of the Habsburg rule, which in 1291 gave rise to the independence movement in the central cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ... Events May 10 - Scottish nobles recognize the authority of King Edward I of England. ... 1550 illustration for the Sempacherbrief of 1393, one of the major alliance contracts of the Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. ... Events May 10 - Scottish nobles recognize the authority of King Edward I of England. ... Events January 20 - Christian II becomes King of Denmark and Norway. ... Huldrych Zwingli was elected priest of the Great Minster church in Zürich in 1518. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... During the Thirty Years War, Switzerland was a relative oasis of peace and prosperity (Grimmelshausen) in war-torn Europe, mostly because all major powers in Europe were depending on Swiss mercenaries, and would not let Switzerland fall in the hands of one of their rivals. ... Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies boiled eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons (Sonderbundskrieg). ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... During both World War I and World War II, Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality, and was not involved militarily. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ongoing events • Gitmo Quran desecration allegations • 2005 Pacific hurricane season • 2005 Giro dItalia • Bill C-38 (Canada gay marriage) • German Visa Affair 2005 • Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan • Fuel prices • Gomery Comm. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18 km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ... ETH Zurich (from its German name Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETHZ) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland. ... Paul Scherrer (1890-1969) was a Swiss physicist. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Opened for signature July 1, 1968 at New York Entered into force March 5, 1970 Conditions for entry into force Ratification by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and 40 other signatory states. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

From 1959, the Federal Council, appointed by the parliament, is composed of members of the four major parties, the liberal Free Democrats, the Catholic Christian Democrats, the left-wing Social Democrats and the right-wing People's Party, essentially creating a system without a sizeable parliamentary opposition (see concordance system), reflecting the powerful position of an opposition in a Direct Democracy. 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Swiss Federal Council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: Conseil fédéral, in Italian: Consiglio federale, in Romansh: Cussegl Federal) is the seven-member executive council which collectively assumes the office of head of state equivalent to that of a president or of a monarch in the government of... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Swiss political parties ... The Christian Democratic Peoples Party of Switzerland (Also called as Christan-Democratic Party, German: Christlich Demokratische Volkspartei (CVP), French: Parti Démocrate-Chrétien Suisse (PDC), Italian: Partito Popolare Democratico Svizzero (PPD), Romansh: Partida Cristiandemocratica Svizra (PCD)) is a centre-right initially Catholic political party from Switzerland. ... The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (also rendered as Socialist Party of Switzerland, in German: Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz (SPS), French Parti socialiste suisse (PSS), Italian Partito Socialista Svizzero, Romansh Partida Socialdemocrata de la Svizra. ... The Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre German: Schweizerische Volkspartei, French: Union Démocratique du Centre, Italian: Unione Democratica del Centro, Romansh: Uniun Democratica dal Center) is a political party in Switzerland. ... The Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... In Swiss politics, concordance system (German Konkordanzsystem) refers to the presence of all of the four major parties in the Federal Council, a system that was originally forced on the parliament electing the council by the direct democracy of Switzerland, where a sizeable opposition could in principle paralyse the government. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein all citizens can directly participate in the political decision-making process. ...

In 1963, Switzerland joined the Council of Europe. Women were granted the right to vote in the last remaining canton only in 1971, and then by a judicial decision against the will of the resisting canton. In 1979, parts of the canton of Berne attained independence while remaining in the Federation, thus forming the new canton of Jura. 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Palace of Europe in Strasbourg The Council of Europe is an international organisation of 46 member states in the European region. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... For other uses, see Bern (disambiguation). ... The Canton of Jura is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the northwestern part of Switzerland. ...

Switzerland's role in many United Nations and international organizations helped to mitigate the country's concern for neutrality. In 2002, following extensive and intensive campaigning by government and media but against considerable nationalistic elements, Switzerland was officially ratified as a member of the United Nations — the only country joining after agreement by a popular vote. The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ...

Switzerland is not a member state of the EU, but has been (together with Liechtenstein) surrounded by EU territory since the joining of Austria in 1995. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Politics of Switzerland