Franziska Zaugg

Franziska Zaugg is a lecturer at the University of Fribourg and researches the history of violence and conflict.

How Switzerland became a gateway to the Spanish Civil War

Franziska Zaugg 13.10.2026 During the interwar years, Switzerland was a place of refuge for people fleeing persecution by authoritarian governments. The Swiss then changed their refugee policy in 1936, thereby inadvertently providing a boost to the republican forces in the Spanish Civil War.

From 1936 onwards, the Swiss Immigration Police regarded refugees as transit migrants. As a result, many anti-fascists who had originally intended to seek refuge in Switzerland went to Spain instead to fight against Franco’s forces. Illustration by Marco Heer.

Switzerland – a neutral player in the Spanish civil war?

Franziska Zaugg 25.06.2026 When the Spanish civil war broke out in July 1936, it provoked a reaction from Switzerland. Apart from the political aspect, about 800 Swiss volunteers also travelled to the Iberian Peninsula to fight against the forces of General Franco.

In September 1936, government troops stormed a rebel position near Aragon.