Switzerland's 1848 Constitution: The Sonderbund War Prelude

How did a fragile alliance of 25 cantons become a unified federal state? This episode unpacks the tense months leading to Switzerland's 1848 constitution, focusing on the Sonderbund War of 1847—a brief but decisive conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons over the expulsion of the Jesuits. We follow the political maneuvering of Tagsatzung president Ulrich Ochsenbein and the military leadership of General Guillaume-Henri Dufour, whose humane campaign minimized casualties. The war lasted less than a month, yet it shattered the old Confederation and paved the way for the Bundesverfassung. We explore the Jesuitenartikel controversy, the role of the Sonderbund secret alliance, and how foreign powers like Metternich's Austria watched nervously. The episode ends with the ratification vote in 1848 and the creation of the Bundesrat, Nationalrat, and Ständerat—the institutions that govern Switzerland today. #SonderbundWar #SwissConstitution1848 #UlrichOchsenbein #GuillaumeHenriDufour #Jesuitenartikel #Tagsatzung #Bundesverfassung #SwissHistory #1847 #CatholicCantons #ProtestantCantons #FederalState #Eidgenossenschaft #Europe #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Switzerland Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo