Helvetic Republic

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Official seal of the Helvetic Republic (depicting William Tell).

Flag of the Helvetic Republic

The Helvetic Republic was a state lasting for five years, from 1798 to 1803.

During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies boiled eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. On 5 March 1798, Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and the Swiss Confederation collapsed. On 12 April 1798 the Helvetic Republic, 'One and Indivisible', was proclaimed; cantonal sovereignty and feudal rights were abolished. The occupying forces established a centralised state based on the ideas of the French Revolution. These 'progressive' ideas were widely resisted, particularly in the central areas of the confederation, and an uprising in Nidwalden was crushed by the occupying forces.

There was no unity within the old confederation about the future of Switzerland. Coup attempts were frequent, but the French remained in power. The occupying forces plundered many towns and villages, as well as the old state. This made it difficult to establish a new working state. Together with the local resistance, financial problems caused the Helvetic Republic to fail as a state. Instability in the Republic reached its peak in 1802–1803; in 1803 additional French troops entered the country.

On February 19, 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte introduced the act of Mediation. This was essentially a compromise between the old and the new order. The centralized state was abolished.

There are remainders of the Helvetic Republic in modern Switzerland, such as certain aspects of some of the cantons and constitutions.

[edit] Administrative divisions

The formerly sovereign cantons were reduced to mere administrative districts, and in order to weaken the old power structures, new boundaries were defined for some cantons. The act of 1798 resulted in the following 19 cantons: