Helvetic Republic, 1798-1803




Nidwalden Resistance against French Occupation 1798




In 1798, French troops occupied Switzerland without meeting armed resistance - with the exception of the small canton of Nidwalden. In September 1798, French troops occupied the canton and brutally suppressed the resistance; 368 Nidwalders and an estimated 3000 French soldiers were killed in the action.


C.) The Legacy

The Swiss Federation was abolished and replaced by the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803), a unitary state. When French troops withdrew in 1802, a number of cantons rose in rebellion against the Helvetic Republic (Swiss Rebellion), Nidwalden having been among them. Lack of support from the other cantons in 1798 caused resentment on the side of the Nidwalders, which was to last for a number of decades.


EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article Nidwalden, from Wikipedia
Die Schweiz im Zeitalter der Französischen Revolution (Switzerland in the Era of the French Revolution), from Schweizer Geschichte, in German
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on February 28th 2004, last revised on November 19th 2004

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