Summary: The narrative "neutrality has protected Switzerland for 500 years" is viewed with nuance by historians. During the Second World War, Switzerland made economic concessions to Nazi Germany. The Bergier Report (2002) critically documented this. The debate about myth and reality of the history of neutrality is part of today's discourse.
Popular historiography sees neutrality as a guarantor of peace and security since Marignano (1515). More recent research qualifies this [1]:
Switzerland formally maintained neutrality but made economic concessions [2]:
Historians emphasise several factors beyond neutrality [3]:
[1] Schweizer Monat (2023). Between mythical elevation and disdain. [Open Access]
[2] swissinfo.ch (2023). WW2 and Neutrality. [Open Access]
[3] SRF (2025). Historian on neutrality. [Open Access]
[4] neutralitaet-ja.ch (2024). Argumentarium. Note: Position paper of the initiative committee
Last updated: March 2026