SONDERFALL SCHWEIZ: WILLENSNATION (NATION BY WILL) OR MULTICULTURAL POLITY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the origins of Swiss statehood, regarded through the prism of the political and cultural nation concepts. It traces the main stages of the Old Confederation, features of the formation of unique public institutions, such as direct democracy, communalism, eternal neutrality. Special attention is paid to the linguistic factor in the political life of the country and its conflict potential. The author concludes that the cumulative effect of consociational democracy and cross-cutting cleavages, together with institutionalized quadrilingualism, reduces the probability of ethno-political conflicts. Advocating the concept of «nation by will» (Willensnation) as the main source of Swiss statehood, the author appeals to such factors as the peculiarities of the historical development of the country and its geographical position in the environment of European absolutist regimes, direct democracy, «cantonization», religious landscape, high level of literacy of the population, contributed to social communication, economic modernization, system of «linguistic harmony» (Sprachfrieden). In conclusion, it is argued that in the late 19th century on the basis of civil identity, the cultural national consciousness was gradually formed under the influence of the state patriotic discourse, which united a complex of myths, symbols and narratives with the institutions of the Confederation. 

Keywords:

Switzerland, political nation, Willensnation, identity, nation-building, quadrilingualism, direct democracy