Historical Narrative and Constitutional Design in Switzerland (1798-1891)

Authors

  • Jordi Jaria i Manzano Universitat Rovira i Virgili

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17811/hc.v0i22.717

Keywords:

Direct Democracy, Federalism, Constitutional Amendment, Implantation of the Liberal State, Switzerland

Abstract

The existence of the popular initiative favours the Swiss Constitution being amended on a regular basis. However, despite having undergone innumerable partial revisions and two total revisions (in 1874 and in 1999), the fundamental constitutional elements that define the identity of the political system remain unchanged since 1848, giving rise to one of the most stable states in Europe, from the constitutional point of view, and to the longest running republican regime in the Old Continent. The present work explores how the historical narrative is fundamental in the construction of the constitutional identity of the Swiss federal state, carried out through an idea of ​​continuity with the past, which provides an extremely solid foundation for the stability of the system. This paper analyses the period between the beginning of political Modernity in Switzerland, with the establishment of the Helvetic Republic in 1798, and the incorporation into the Constitution of the popular initiative for the revision of the Constitution in 1890.

Fecha de envío / Submission date: 18/01/2021

Fecha de aceptación / Acceptance date: 11/03/2021

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Published

2021-09-04

Issue

No. 22 (2021): Historia Constitucional N. 22 (2021)

Section

NOTES

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Jordi Jaria i Manzano

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