The bourgeoisie used to deceive working people making myths of good capitalism. Therefore propagandists have got a number of stories on several countries described as ideal for life. The sense is that we should work so thouroghly as here, have such type of democracy etc to come up to the level of this country.
(It means that you should not struggle against capitalism and for socialism but work more hard and elect into the parlament the most respectable bourgeise politicians to enjoy a good life).
Switzerland had appeared in 1291 as a military alliance of three cantons. These cantons are Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden. According to the Swiss Constitution, all 26 cantons are considerated to be states. This alliances appeared in the period of medieval commune to limit feudalism. Thus Switzerland has been a country without monarchy from the very beginning in the time of feudalism.
The political order of Switzerland is being decribed as a directorial republic or direct, pure democracy. There is alsp proclaimed the solidarity of population and government. Neutrality (the non-aligned status), resistance, the high living standard are presented as achievements of Swiss democracy.
Let’s check up.
For example, they say that Switzerland no head of state but collective leadership. The president and the vice-president are being elected by Federal Council from the members of Federal Council (the number of members is seven). The vice-president is to become the president next year.
As we can see, so-called directorial system is an umbrella that is used to disguise bureaucracy.
Also look at one interesting slant. There is also a such kind of incumbency as the federal chancellor of Switzerland. This is not similar to the German and Austrian federal chancellor because being the head of the Federal Chancellery, i. e. the central office of the government, the federal chancellor is not a member of the government. The aim of it is clear – they try make an illusion for us of the very democracy; they are laying themselves out and reaching absurd lengths by proclaiming that the federal chancellor is not the member of government in spite of being its head. Yes, Swiss bourgeoisie uses such tricks and goes out of its way to deceive workong people by this illusion of democracy!
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No doubt the author is trying to endorse the myth of capitalist prosperity. But it is evident that he buffoons and grimaces when he tries to hide some embarrasding features. It’s the aim of his “humour”.
In the very beginning he compares Switzerland to humblebees and writes that according to the law of gravitation humblebees should not fly and accorfind to all economical laws Switzerland should not exist so awfully well.
(It means that Switzerland exists in spite of all negative factors).
Being landlocked … without sources and markets in colonies or economic unions Switzerland would away back fall to pieces. But however it is the only country whose existance is an object of disappointment and envy for all the rest.
The national income per head is the highest throughought the world. But since 1291 the citizens consider this prosperity to be temporary and leads down to total dectruction and unhappiness.
They largely see no prospectives and deny all the indexes of their achievements…
They are afraid by the chance to loose everything that was gained by their hard work.
As we can see, the Swiss really don’t believe in their prosperity and capitalist paradise. They see the hipocricy of so-called statistics, these middle-average indicators. The Swiss bankers’ earning are very high payed by the western bourgeoisie and being added to salaries of workers they are the way to get an arithmetic average looking like very high per head. No doubt that really people don’t see any profit of this tripled indicator. But propagandists of capitalist achievements used to operate this statistics. As a result the workers from diferent countries think that they should try to maintain this standard of being, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the Swiss workers themselves are making attempts to “make capitalism better” instead of class war.
It is well-known that in capitalist countries there is no solidarity between the workers of different nationalities. Bourgeoisie provokes the conflict between workers based on ethnical, religious and territorial differences in attempt to prevent the solidarity of workers which is rather dangerous for capitalists. Let’s check up the situation in Switzerland.
The author writes himself that each canton is considered to be the separate state (“status in statu”) with its own budget and government and citizens of Geneva, Zurich, Bern etc call themselves first of all as citizens oh their regions and the only common subjects are the Swiss passport and desire to show their particularity.
It means that there is no national solidarity in Switzerland and local nationalism of every place is the serious problem.
How the Swiss solve this problem? Author writes that the Federal Government holds the country together and also the Swiss society holds referendums on main problems every three months. Referendums are called the unique instrument and direct voting.
The author’s statement is that regular referendums are the way to prevent the dissolution of the country. Is that true? Say the least – no! Which were the results of referendums in USSR before the dissolution? Did the referendum in Libya prevented the civil war, overthrowing and dissolution? One can say that these referendums were organised in the situation of rebellion. Yes, you are quite right! And it means that referendums in Switzerland deliver benefits only because of absence of rebellion and not vice versa!
By the way, the home front in Switzerland is not so still as one can think. The author himself writes that this combination of German, Gaulish and Latin genies could be the serious source of contradictions similar to ones in Belgium between the Walloons and the Flemish or in Canada between citizens Quebec and others, needless to say about Northern Ireland or the Balkans. He says that the French-speaking separatists of Bern in 1978 achieved the status of the separate canton in Jura and before the plebiscite two bombs were exploded.
So nationalism in Switzerland can be also aggressive. The bourgeoisie has no variants but provoke the false pride of nationality and use the national consciousness to manipulate working people.
Hereinafter the author spill the guts specifying the “sources of solidarity and resistance”. These are non-violent dissolution of contradiction and the referendum (again!), these plebiscites are not cheap but allowable to the forehanded Swiss. And is sounds cynically but the main tool of dissolution of strife is money.
Oh well! The solidarity of Switzerland is based on mutually profitable co-existing of ruling coterie and so-called middle class! Their interest is to save the unified state – an they do save! And permanent nationalist and separatist conflicts, referendums for independence or solidarity and rush are used to take workers’ mind off their interests and class struggle.
We are keeping on reading. According to this book the Swiss are the great patriots of their country, of its productions, especially from their native district… The citizens of each canton or district proclaim themselves to be the best and dislike their neighbours. City and towny people and rural people are taking a shot at each other… There is the total antagonism of cities, towns and villages. Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lugano, Locarno, Ticino, Bellinzona – they are all contesting almost as in the War of the Worlds of H. G. Wells.
What does it mean? The Switzerland is infected by the rather hideous, entrenched small-town nationalism far and wide! Altogether all is limited to back-and-forth legpulling, so far. But we have got an example of the country where these legpulling has been merged in the civil war. It’s the Ukraine.
The Swiss used to slobber over everything made in their country and also they can be upset and worry about several things. And mostly they will be upset to recognise if something foreign is better than theirs. It’s the reason why they are looking at their neighbours with distrust.
It’s the state policy of nationalism yet supplying the local one. Their little Switzerly is being constantly offended.
Hereinafter we open that the measure of Swiss neutrality is a choice of Swiss.
The Switzerland is not the member of UN or NATO either. Official explanation is that it contradicts the traditional policy of neutrality. But in fact the Swiss simply see no profit of these organisations. They had sad “no” to the offer of joining the European Economic Area and thus prevented the joing the European Union. It could signify that Switzerland is as poor ar other countries…
We remember that in 2002 Switzerland really became the member of UN – more later than poorest African countries. This shows the real features of the Swiss society. The Swiss bourgeoisie succeeded in corrupting the workers, subordinating, infecting them by lack of principles ans egoism. So-called Swiss “neutrality” is a typical point of view of the Swiss inhabitant that is – let’s everybody make their own business, we don’t care.
…The Swiss respect Americans for their diversity… being cowboys, extraverts; their possibility to travel everywhere in their virgin area – whereas the Swiss should work hard and labor under their bureaucracy…
The Swiss envy the American people consider them to be free – whereas they are the victims of their bureaucracy. Well known words, aren’t they, especially for post-Soviet population? So – where is true democracy?
…The Swiss admire the British people for absence of the regrets of occupying the half of the world and then absence of regret of loosing it. The typical British for the Swiss is a person with a cup of tea…
So – the Swiss don’t distinguish the ruling class and the working class.
The Swiss are able to pay tribute to other nations but they make distinct between different types of foreign – something transboundary or peregrine – and extraneous… It’s very difficult to become a Swiss citizen. You should have the Swiss parents, friends, partners, you should be the painter – it would be better if you are the rich painter. Also ypu should live in Switzerland for 10 years… But at the same time almost 20% – 1/5 of the constant population – are the foreigners.
Again we see the awful nationalism. If you want to become the Swiss you shold obey a lot of regulations and orders bases on your contacts with relatives, friends and partners, especially rich. It’s a situation like in fascist Israel where you can be recognised the Jew if your mother is the Jew, if you marry the Jew and if your religion is Judaism.
…For all the rest citizen in the number of 4/5 of population all troubles are explained by the presence of “Ausländers” – the alien workers but not the Swiss or even the tourists…
Say what? In this “still” and “prosper” country the most part of the population is infected addind to legpulling the open xenophonia, hatred to the workers from other states – not to their government or even tourists making the money fly! The foreign workers are guilty of problems!
…Everybody beyond Switzerland knows about “the Swiss gnomes” fold of gold, i. e. the bankers, but if you say it to the Swiss they will be rather suprised.
Oh yes, the bourgeoisie doesn’t tell about bankers and oligarchs. They are absent at all according to the propaganda! And it is good when the Swiss blame foreigners!
Also the Swiss bourgeoisie incalculates ideas on the messianship of the Swiss.
…The Swiss suppose that there are a lot of people worldwide … who idle. So the Swiss are obliged to be responsible for these nations…
The national exceptionalism, the responsibility of the “hardworking” Swiss for idle nations are the well-known motivations, aren’t they? Can you see any difference from the racional theory or the propaganda of American expansivity?
…You can do nothing on Sundays but only take rest. The laundry, or the work in your cottage, or even commercial transport are prohibited…
What??? And where are so called rules and freedoms, including individual?! Who had cried about the “authoritorianism” of the USSR?
…The tax for the Catholic is 6% and for the Protestant is 5%. The atheists are free from tax…
The Swiss rules obliges the Protestant and the Catholic to pay for their religion! There is the tax in Russia but it’s free-will!
And the last quotation.
…The Swiss society is homogeneous … classless … the only distinction is between rich ann very rich. The poor people are present but their poorness is considered to be their own fault and the lack of their forces … The topic of poorness is suppressed, not recommended… The talks on salary are prohibited – in empoyment advertisements too…
It’s a wonderful news, isn’t it?! The society is classless – but there are the very rich and poor people! Well, well!
We see the rudest societal-racism in Switerland like in every capitalist country (in Russia it was feeled strongly in 1990s)! The talks on salary are prohibited – so there are very little chances for strikes!
So. Instead of a so-called capitalist paradise we face the rather bureacratic police-ridden state trampling all the rights of citizens. The attitide to poor here is ruder than everywhere because the talks on poverty and salary are prohibited.
The bourgeoisie has become successful in the strict reglamentations of all spheres of life. There are few places with such type of reglamentations.
The worst is that the Swiss workers are being infected at all by this bourgeoise morality, manipulated and as a result the are a cat’s paw in Switzerland. The workers being perverted cooperate the Swiss bourgeoise. These are the features of fascism. Yes, we should consider Switzerland to be the fascist state at all!
But the typical character from this sad story is the inhabitant bit not the worker, not the proletarian.
We remember the Swiss workers who struggled for socialism. One of them is Fritz Platten who was the close Lenin’s comerade. He landed the Russia in 1905 and take part in the revolutionare rebellions in Latvia. He was arested and rescued. Then during the First World War he supported Lenin and other Bolsheviks and criticised the German social-democrats who betrayed the working class. He was the real internationalist and forged friendship with other internationalists in Zimmerwald.
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As we can see the Swiss had made a good contribution into revolutionary movement. They had shown themselves as the excellent, unrelieved and witting militants. The future socialist revolution which is ripening throughout the world, in Switzerland too, the new revolutionare uprising of the Swiss workers will return them the best efficiencies and save them from this morass of consumerism, complacency and egoism where they are staying from behind the efforts oh the Swiss bourgeoisie.
[1]http://www.langust.ru/review/xeno_swd.shtml