Notes from the Federal Palace Swiss representations now have an established presence around the globe. Based in almost every country, they act as the first point of contact for Swiss Abroad in need of help and support. But this has not always been the case. The network of Swiss representations abroad grew gradually during the course of the last two centuries, starting in Bordeaux in 1798. People carrying out duties of a diplomatic or consular nature on behalf of individual cantons were already stationed in The French port of Bordeaux offers indirect access to the Atlantic and was an important hub for international trade and European emigration overseas. Painting by Pierre Lacour, 1806. Photo: Alamy The birth of Switzerland’s consular network If a Swiss loses her ID in Cuba, she will go to the Swiss consulate. If a Swiss couple in Australia become parents or a Swiss in Kenya needs support, they will also get in touch with the relevant Swiss representation abroad – benefiting from a diplomatic network that can trace its beginnings as far back as 1798, when Switzerland’s first-ever consulate opened in Bordeaux. friendly countries before 1798. But no one actually represented the country as a whole. This is because the Old Swiss Confederacy – Switzerland before Napoleon’s invasion – amounted to nothing more than a loose collection of states with few common interests. The ideals of the French Revolution shaped Europe at the end of the 18th century. And the new values of ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’ also circulated around Switzerland, leading to increasing protests and unrest as early as the 1790s. The French invaded the Old Swiss Confederacy in March 1798, establishing the centralised Helvetic Republic on 12 April 1798. As soon as there was a stable political environment again, key priorities fell into place for the Helvetic Republic at national and international level. As economic links around the globe grew stronger, representing Swiss interests abroad became more important. On 25 August 1798, the Helvetic Republic appointed Marc-Antoine Pellis as its inaugural 28 Swiss Review / October 2024 / No.5
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