Switzerland's 1848 Constitution: How a Civil War Created a Nation

In 1847, Switzerland stood on the brink of disintegration. The Sonderbund, a separatist alliance of Catholic cantons, defied federal authority, and Europe's great powers watched with interest. Lucas and Luna explore the brief but decisive Sonderbund War: how General Guillaume-Henri Dufour led federal troops with minimal bloodshed, the role of the Jesuit article as a flashpoint, and how the victory paved the way for Switzerland's transformation from a loose confederation to a federal state. They unpack the 1848 constitution itself — a radical document that created a bicameral parliament, a federal court, and a central government, all while preserving cantonal sovereignty. Along the way, they discuss the compromises that made it work, the figures like Ulrich Ochsenbein and Jonas Furrer who shaped it, and why the Swiss still refer to their government as the Bundesrat. A story of how a tiny civil war forged the modern Swiss nation. #Sonderbund #Sonderbundskrieg #GuillaumeHenriDufour #UlrichOchsenbein #JonasFurrer #Bundesverfassung #Eidgenossenschaft #SwissHistory #1848 #Bundesstaat #FederalState #SwissCivilWar #Jesuitenartikel #CatholicCantons #Lucerne #Tagsatzung #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo