The two world wars not only caused serious economic losses to the world, but also caused more than 60 countries and more than 2 billion people to suffer from the invasion of war, and the magic is that Switzerland, as a neutral small country, surrounded by major forces, can be safe and secure from war every time.
You know, at that time, there was more than one neutral country, Switzerland, and in the end, only Switzerland could stand alone, why is this? Let's find out together today.
Escaping the ravages of two wars How amazing is neutral Switzerland
Switzerland is a landlocked country located in the middle of Europe, bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Liechtenstein and Austria to the east, and Italy to the south, with an area of about 41,284 square kilometers and a population of 8.738 million.
Switzerland is very high, the central and southern parts are located in the Alps, the northwest is the Jura mountains, only a small number of plains are distributed in the middle, and Swiss mineral resources are relatively scarce, only a small amount of coal, iron, manganese and salt. The energy and industrial raw materials needed for production and life are basically dependent on imports, but Switzerland is very rich in water resources, and the utilization rate can reach 95%, and fresh water resources can account for 6% of the whole of Europe, of which the Rhine, Rhône, and Inn rivers all originate in Switzerland.
Switzerland prehistoric was the main activity area of the indigenous Celts in Europe, and now in addition to the Swiss, there are 26.5% of the foreign population, and there are four official languages, of which German accounts for 62.8%, French 22.9%, Italian and 0.5% Latin Romance language are 8.2%, and 5.6% are other languages.
From the 14th century to the 19th century, in the large-scale wars that broke out on the European continent, almost all Swiss mercenaries can be seen, it can be said that Switzerland is definitely a competitive nation, and it is difficult for Switzerland to be isolated in geographically complex Europe. At the end of the 15th century, France fought with Italy for the Italian peninsula, and Switzerland, which was caught in the middle, was forced to choose, but Switzerland supported France at the beginning and turned to Italy, which made France very annoyed, so it defeated Switzerland in 1515, and Switzerland paid a heavy price, since then, Switzerland has understood that it is sandwiched between great powers, and either chooses to become a vassal state or choose neutrality. In the end, Switzerland chose the latter.
Soon, however, Napoleon began to rise to prominence and in 1798 led troops to occupy all of Switzerland and turn it into a republic under the First French Empire.
But even so, Switzerland chose neutrality, neither favoring France nor the anti-French coalition. Until 1815, when Napoleon was defeated and European countries convened a conference in Vienna, Switzerland took the opportunity to be recognized by the great powers and became a permanently neutral country.
But looking back at history, it is not difficult to find that whether it is the fierce battle between the Allies and the Allies in World War I, or the confrontation between the Axis and the Allies in World War II, Switzerland is surrounded by opposing sides, but miraculously, Switzerland has perfectly escaped the ravages of two wars, is the title of neutrality really so good?
Why Switzerland stands alone
In fact, the iron still needs to be hardened, in World War I, due to the special geographical location of Switzerland, the two camps were dispatched around Switzerland, Switzerland directly ordered, mobilized the whole country, gathered hundreds of thousands of troops in the border to strictly defend, and made it clear that whoever dared to enter Switzerland would be accompanied to the end. For the two major forces at that time, it was not impossible to take Switzerland, but the major empires in a chaotic situation, the strength was constantly being consumed, and it was really not necessary to deal with the Swiss labor and money. So Switzerland escaped World War I unharmed.
In World War II, Germany blitzed Poland, after defeating France, has always coveted Switzerland at its doorstep, and Switzerland is not afraid of things, the relevant media has repeatedly publicly attacked Germany, for Germany This is completely contrary to the attitude that a neutral country should hold, so Hitler's dislike of Switzerland is also increasing, and Germany was quite radical in World War II, and almost all of its neighbors were convinced, but Switzerland stood abruptly on the territory of the Third Reich, which made Germany very unhappy. But if Germany really goes head-to-head with Switzerland, there is really not much chance of victory.
First of all, Switzerland's complex terrain is one of the biggest challenges. The central and southeastern Alps account for 62.5% of Switzerland's total area, with an average altitude of 1700 meters and a maximum altitude of 4634 meters, which is also the highest mountain in Europe.
In World War II, Switzerland made good use of the Alps, almost equivalent to hollowing out the Alps to build countless fortress bunkers and tunnels, and the places built in place were not only connected to water and electricity, but also equipped with elevators and roads for tanks and military vehicles to travel, and fighters could directly complete takeoff and landing on the cliff.
In fact, this kind of well-supplied, powerful, and well-equipped camouflage fortress can be found almost everywhere not only in the Alps, but also in the mountains of Switzerland, so the "enemy" is in the dark and I am in the light. Even if Germany wants to take Switzerland, it will be blocked by this indestructible barrier, and even have to be wary of various tunnel guerrilla warfare in Switzerland at all times, even if Germany's strength is enough to crush Switzerland, it is difficult to fight quickly in this situation, which has violated the combat strategy of Germany's blitzkrieg.
Secondly, the title of Swiss neutrality is not something that is said casually, but earned by actual actions. Switzerland was surrounded by the two major axis powers of Germany and Italy, and France in the west surrendered after only 38 days of fighting, and almost all the surrounding forces were German forces, and Switzerland was very disadvantaged in the encirclement.
At that time, the Swiss regular army was only a few hundred thousand, but this did not mean that Switzerland would be soft. Almost all people in Switzerland are soldiers, every household will be equipped with weapons and equipment, as long as the wind is not right, wearing a military uniform is a soldier, and Swiss children will receive military training in elementary school, and the style is very hardcore.
As soon as World War II began, the Swiss army risked blowing up all the bridges on the border. It will even lay mines in all possible passageways to stop the pace of foreign invasion, in short, it will not stop you and will not let you in completely.
Finally, it is to work relations with other countries, just like in World War II, Switzerland has a neutral title protection, under its own strong conditions, other countries are hot, Switzerland is what to make money for, and even with the identity of a neutral country, military trade with Germany, Swiss banks also provide Germany with thoughtful foreign exchange services to ensure the daily expenses of the German army, Switzerland even provided electricity to German factories, and lasted until 1954, Switzerland also took advantage of this to make a relatively small war wealth, Therefore, driven by interests, Switzerland's neutrality is not so pure, which is also a key reason why Switzerland is often criticized, of course, from the Swiss point of view, under the premise that no party is guilty, it is not wrong for them to strive for self-preservation.