Markus Somm on Napoleon and Switzerland: The Dictator of Liberation

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The Bernese had prepared everything; A magnificent welcome, where the city’s aristocrats wanted to greet him with honor, a hearty meal that the Frenchman would surely love, music, soldiers, cheering people, in short, the whole of Bern was ready. Napoleon arrived and continued on his way without even getting out of his car.

He left Bern behind. “He rushed towards the aristocratic city he hated, as if the ground beneath his feet were on fire,” wrote a contemporary. He only stopped in Fraubrunnen (far outside the city).

Swiss style intimidation

The year was 1797, and General Bonaparte, then the best general in revolutionary France, was traveling through Switzerland. He went to Basel via Geneva, Lausanne and Murten, and left our country towards Rastatt, where one of the many unsuccessful peace congresses of that time took place. There had been war in Europe since 1792, and although Switzerland had been spared so far, it seemed only a matter of time before the war would affect us too.

It was therefore wise for the aristocrats who ruled Old Bern to want to provide Napoleon with a pleasant stay to put him in a positive mood. You never know. Especially since this man had just conquered Italy. A genius, a monster, a savior; It depends on your perspective. It would be better if Bern remained a beautiful memory for him. Deterrence in Swiss style: In Lausanne, where he arrived at 1 a.m., he was greeted, among others, by three young women dressed in tricolour, who fascinated the general, a notorious womanizer. He has been considered a friend of Vaud ever since.

When the Bernese lost and surrendered

It is doubtful whether this method will catch on in Bern. The Bernburgers underestimated how unpopular they were in the eyes of the revolutionary French; their state was seen as a result of the Old Regime, the rule of monarchies that had just been abolished in Paris.

They would soon realize how unpopular they were. Under the pretext of supporting the Vaud rebellion against Bern, France invaded in January 1798 and very quickly suppressed the Old Confederation; It too collapsed because the cantons could not even agree on whether to defend themselves. In the end, the Bernese found themselves alone, lost and resigned. And soon all of Switzerland is with them.

Von Graffenried and von Wattenwyl danced in the alley

Now there was a visit to Bern – albeit without the otherwise busy Napoleon – but no longer was the French’s hope just for hot soup. They immediately seized the Bernese national treasure, one of the greatest treasures of the time, and even the Bernese bears took them away.

The French had previously named the bears after famous Bernese aristocrats and held a victory march in the city with them. Von Graffenried and von Wattenwyl danced in the Herrengasse. They stole three bears in total; A very young bear remained in Bern. He did not survive. It is not yet known whether this was due to grief or starvation without his mother.

Bernese bears ended up in the Paris Zoo. They never returned, even after France lost all the wars. Rule and humiliate. They were strange saviors.

He broke modernity with fire and sword

In fact, a period of foreign rule in the form of a military dictatorship began in Switzerland from 1798 to 1815, with the blessing of Napoleon. When you hear today how much modern Switzerland owes to Napoleon, it is not entirely untrue, but still nothing to miss: This was an invasion by foreign troops, the likes of which we have not witnessed since Roman times. It took 17 years. The uprisings were suppressed bloodily, villages were burned as punishment, and political opponents were imprisoned or deported. Thousands of Swiss youths died during Napoleon’s campaigns in Spain, Germany or Russia, where his downfall was assured. Here, in 1812, a Swiss division was covering the French retreat on the Berezina. This was successful, albeit at a high cost: 300 of 12,000 men remained.

It was one of the worst times in Swiss history. Of course, Napoleon revolutionized the country, leaving the good things behind as well, for example by removing the sovereignty of the old cantons over the areas in question and creating new cantons such as Aargau, Thurgau or Vaud, and also introduced legal equality and some civil rights. Rights. But was it worth it? His contemporaries probably saw it differently; like most Europeans whose countries were transformed by Napoleon’s brutal wars. There is no doubt that it brought modernity; but with fire and sword. If you look at England, which was not conquered by Napoleon, but rather defeated him, it becomes clear that democracy, the rule of law and capitalism reigned here without his tyranny.

Lessons from foreign management

If there was one good thing about the 17 years of foreign rule in our country, it was the conviction: Never again! Shortly after Napoleon’s death, Swiss officers gathered at Langenthal and called for a stronger army. At the same time, the parliament in Thun created the first federal gun range. Never again Napoleon.

Meanwhile the young bear was stuffed. Today it hangs in a display case at the Bernese History Museum. The small, skinny bear holding a sword and a shield is considered a viewer favorite. The last bear of old Bern.

* Markus Somm is historian and editor-in-chief of “Nebelspalter”

Source : Blick