Democratic Party (Switzerland)
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Party was a political party which existed in several Swiss cantons from 1860 to 1971.
Following the total revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution
in 1874, the democratic movement had achieved its goals at the federal level and was accordingly dissolved. However, the political alliance remained to which various groups belonged: such groups consisted of workers, tradesmen and farmers. In some cantons Democratic Parties were established.
The policy of the Democratic Party can be summarised as follows:-
The Democratic Party had no connection with the today's extreme right-wing party, the Swiss Democrats
.
Following the total revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution
Swiss Federal Constitution
The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland. It establishes the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons , contains a catalogue of individual and popular rights , delineates the responsibilities of the...
in 1874, the democratic movement had achieved its goals at the federal level and was accordingly dissolved. However, the political alliance remained to which various groups belonged: such groups consisted of workers, tradesmen and farmers. In some cantons Democratic Parties were established.
The policy of the Democratic Party can be summarised as follows:-
- national in outlook
- in favour of direct democracyDirect democracyDirect democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
, the extension of citizens’ rights and state intervention - in favour of public monopolies
- in favour of social reform
- opposed to the notion of KulturkampfKulturkampfThe German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
and taking the view that the Kulturkampf was outdated
The Democratic Party had no connection with the today's extreme right-wing party, the Swiss Democrats
Swiss Democrats
The Swiss Democrats are a right-wing political party in Switzerland.The party is not represented in the Federal Assembly, but has two members of the Grand Council of Aargau....
.