SWITZERLAND. There is no party government in Switzerland and no party machinery, such as is necessary in countries where there is party gov ernment. Minority representation is responsible for this. There are parties. however. The politi cal history of the present confederation begins in 1847, when the Radicals triumphed over the Cath one Sonderbund. Moderates, Radicals, and Cath olics were thereafter the parties that appealed to the suffrage, of the people. The two former di tided at first un the attitude of Switzerland toward the revolutionary movement elsewhere; then on railroad and other questions. In the struggle over constitutional revision from 1564 to 1574 revision was opposed by the Ultramontane Catholics. and by the French and Italians. who feared the domination of German cantons. After the revision there were new adjustments of party relation.. The Vatican decrees of 1670 were opposed by a body of Swiss Catholics, who rejected the dogma of Papal infallibility. They were known as Old Catholics and their recogni tion by the Swiss Government as the true Cath olic body precipitated a contest with the Vatican and the Ultramontane Swiss Catholics. The IT tramontanes or Clericals, the legislative Right, became a strong and aggressive political body. On the other side the Radicals form the Extreme Left, believing in the absolute severance of both Protestant and Catholic churches from polities.
The Radicals differ in their attitude on ques tions outside of Church matters, the French being opposed to the national centralization which is sought by the Germans. The Centre, or Liberal Conservative party, is far from homogeneous and united. It is made up mainly of the conservative moneyed classes. A Catholic People's Party was formed in 1594. Socialist party movements, al though many have been set on foot by foreigners who have found asylum in Switzerland. have not flourished on Swiss soil, but the Grritliverein. a society founded in 1838 on a democratic basis. has been gradually adopting socialist idea,.
Consult: Seignobos, _I Political History of Europe Since l81.j, trans. by S. M. Macvane (New York, 1900). a very useful compendium of European political history ; Lowell, Gorernno nts and Parties in Continental Europe (•? vols., Bos ton, 1897 ). an invaluable and thoroughly scien tific examination of the political systems of Aus tria-Hungary, France. Germany. Italy, and Switz erland; Rohmer. Doctrine of Parties (1844) ; Woolsey, Political Science (2 vols., New York, 1S86). See the sections on the government and history of the different countries, to which the history of parties closely relates itself.