Bulletin n. 2/2007
October 2007
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Brückner Thomas
    Europa organisieren. Zu den Anfängen der Schweizer Europabewegung
    in Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte , Band 57, Heft 2 ,  2007 ,  174-187
    Switzerland has witnessed one of the earliest and a highly active European movements that goes back as far as to the early 30’s of the previous century. This article aims at asking about the origins and motives which lie behind the beginning of the European movement in Switzerland. It looks at the social networks which were established by the activists and the notional building blocks of the anticipated Europe. The movement found its main support among liberals and social democrats and spread with some 3000 members across the whole country. The relative strength of the movement reflected the economic and social crisis both in Switzerland and Europe. Visionary as the claim to unify Europe was, the activists were mainly driven by the attempt to strengthen Switzerland as a nation. The political system of Switzerland and its federalism were taken as the “Swiss example” for the envisaged order in Europe. With reference to the history of the European integration after the Second World War, however, this Swiss example has mainly been taken as a reason to justify why Switzerland did not become a member of the various supranational institutions. Thus, the argument to unify Europe after “the Swiss model” can also be understood as part of a European scepticism which has come to the fore on different occasions after the Second World War.
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