How is Switzerland II. Who Managed Not to Participate in World War II?

In fact, this situation With Switzerland’s policy It was relevant.

But when you think about it, while all the countries are attacking each other, the middle of Europe How did Switzerland manage to remain so independent?

Switzerland is known for its “neutrality” policy.

This long-lasting neutrality was completed in modern terms by the incident that took place in 1815. Congress of Vienna It started with. After the Napoleonic Wars, European states decided that Switzerland would be a neutral country. Because Switzerland remaining neutral created a buffer zone between the great powers in Europe. So Switzerland was a safe land between warring countries.

this too european states It was a beneficial situation. Attacking Switzerland would not give anyone a serious advantage. This policy of neutrality almost became an identity of Switzerland.

Consider the geographical location of Switzerland.

borders Germany, France, Italy and Austria One of the biggest advantages of Switzerland is that it is surrounded by great powers such as Alps It has a mountainous geography. This mountainous terrain makes military operations extremely difficult. So an army that wanted to attack Switzerland had to overcome these mountains.

At the same time, Switzerland kept the passages and roads under control. If will be occupied He had previously announced that he would destroy this infrastructure if it happened. This made capturing Switzerland meaningless for the attacking country.

Even though Switzerland was neutral, this was not a passive policy.

Switzerland has a very strong defense system to protect itself against a possible attack. defensive strategy had developed. Especially at the beginning of the 20th century, it was mandatory for everyone to do military service. This meant that Switzerland had a large militia even in peacetime.

An important part of defense strategies “National Redoubt” It was the (National Sanctuary) plan. According to this plan, Switzerland’s defense was in mountainous areas. If the enemy tried to invade Switzerland, the Swiss army would retreat to the Alps and try to resist there for a long time. Attacking these regions by occupying forces would also cause great difficulties.

Invading Switzerland was not considered important enough to change the course of the war.

Geography aside Switzerlandcontinued to maintain commercial relations with both parties. Thanks to its impartiality, it has never lost its safe harbor function. In addition, it was able to maintain a balance by trading with both the Axis powers and the allies.

geographical conditions Besides, with its political stance, Switzerland also took part in World War II because it acted as a mediator in the middle of the war. He managed to remain peaceful during World War II.

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