Category: Modern Age

18. October 2019

Modern Age | Politics

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Switzerland’s ‘militia’ system

by René Roca

Even today, Switzerland’s ‘militia’ system of citizen legislature (Milizsystem) is central to the country’s system of government. But what does the term ‘militia’ actually mean? And how did this system come about?

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25. September 2019

Modern Age | Economy

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The transatlantic slave trade

by Noemi Crain Merz

Up until slavery was finally abolished in the 19th century, European traders carried off millions of people from Africa to the New World. Swiss families and companies also profited from the transatlantic slave trade.

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18. September 2019

Modern Age | Society

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Homesick for the mountains

by Alexander Rechsteiner

200 years ago, homesickness was thought to be a typically Swiss affliction. It was triggered by ‘Kuhreihen’, old herdsmen’s songs. The children’s book character Heidi also suffered from homesickness.

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28. August 2019

Modern Age | Religion

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The synagogues of Lengnau and Endingen

by Gabriel Heim

The first Jews settled in Lengnau and Endingen in the 16th century, and the country’s first synagogues were built in those villages.

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21. August 2019

Modern Age | Religion

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The Rue du Parc synagogue in La Chaux-de-Fonds

by Gabriel Heim

In the late 19th century, La Chaux-de-Fonds was a popular destination for Jewish immigrants. This also benefited the watchmaking industry and the urban landscape, which gained the country’s largest synagogue.

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