Switzerland's Wartime History: Neutral Since 1847

Switzerland has not participated in any major interstate war since the Sonderbund War (1847), a brief civil conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons that established the modern federal state.

Since then, Switzerland has maintained armed neutrality:

• Did not fight in WWI, WWII, Cold War conflicts, or subsequent wars.
• Mobilized defensively in both World Wars (deterrence).
• Provided humanitarian aid, Red Cross leadership, diplomatic mediation, and protected power services.
• Remains outside NATO, EU defense structures; participates in NATO Partnership for Peace, UN peacekeeping (unarmed).

Neutrality is constitutionally enshrined and central to Swiss identity and foreign policy.