Yearbook 2019
Switzerland. According to
CountryAAH, the parliamentary elections in October were
a great success for the environmental movement. The Greens
increased from 6% to 12.7%, which is almost a doubling
compared to the elections in 2015. Add to this Green
liberals, which increased from 4.6 to 7.6%, which meant that
the two green parties ended up at 21%. However, the
right-wing nationalist Swiss People's Party remained the
largest party, despite falling back by 3 percentage points
to 26.3%. The Social Democrats also lost voter support, but
still became the second largest party with 16.5%. In third
place came the Liberals (FDP) with 15.3%, followed by the
Greens with 12.7%, the Christian Democrats got 12.0% and the
Green Liberals ended up with 7.6%.
In December, a vote was held in Parliament on who should
be assigned to the ministerial posts. A majority of the
center and right parties then voted against the Green Party
leader, Regula Rytz, getting one of the seven ministerial
posts in the government - despite the great election
successes in October. Instead, the ministers of the outgoing
government were re-elected, and the Minister of the
Environment and Social Democrat Simonetta Sommaruga was
appointed to take over the presidential post for 2020; the
presidential post rotates between the ministers every year.
In October, the Swiss Academy of Sciences presented a
study that showed that 20 glaciers in Switzerland have
declined more than ever in the last five years over the past
five years. The decrease during these five years corresponds
to more than 10%. In September, about 200 people said
goodbye to Pizol's glacier, which it is estimated will
disappear completely within ten years. According to
estimates, more than 500 glaciers have now melted away in
the Swiss Alps, and of the country's 1,500 glaciers, 90%
will be lost by the end of the century if we do nothing
about climate change.
Switzerland's prehistory
The oldest traces of people in Switzerland are from
settlements in caves and date from the Moustérien period.
The raw material for the implements has been local rocks.
Charcoal remains from a fireplace in such a cave are approx.
50,000 years old.
From the Magdalene period open settlements have been
found for reindeer hunters. Findings from Mesolithic times
are relatively frequent. From the Neolithic period, the
Rössen culture made its mark on Northern Switzerland, while
the Cortaillod culture was found in the central and western
parts of the country. The Cortaillod culture is named after
a site at Lake Neuchâtel (see pile buildings) and dates to
3000–2500 BC. It was followed by the Horgen culture, where
the ceramic-shaped ceramics show similarity to megalithic
cultures in France. In Northern Switzerland, the Horgen
culture was replaced by a snoring ceramic group.
In the Bronze Age
In the Bronze Age, which started approx. 1800 BC, the
object types show contact with areas in the west, north and
east. There are many burial and settlement finds. Remains of
houses with wickerwork walls that have been clay-clad have
been preserved in some humid areas. Organic residues such as
seeds and grains have been preserved for various food and
utility crops. This gives a good picture of the daily
business life. Field and field crops have formed the basis
for the various cultural groups in the country.
At the end of the Bronze Age, four different groups can
be traced. A deterioration of the climate in the 7th century
BC may have led to depopulation of some of the villages
along the lakes. By the end of the Bronze Age, northeastern
Switzerland was closely associated with southern Germany,
while western Switzerland was associated with eastern
France. Probably at this time, the people were celters. In
any case, the richly equipped tombs are of Celtic type. The
dead were buried in a wagon with gold jewelery and import
items from the Mediterranean. The trenches testify to a
stratification of society.
In several places fortified plants have been found. The
towns have been on high ridges with ramparts all around. The
site of La Tène has given a name to an entire era and
cultural circle. From the 100s and 1st century. B.C. the
Celts, who were skilled craftsmen and artists, made glass
jewelery in domestic workshops. From that time, they also
began - under Greek influence - to coin mints. From Zurich
comes a large coin discovery of 80 kg.
At Caesar's conquest of Gallia 58–50 BC came Switzerland
under Roman rule. The Romans gave the country the name c,
after the tribe of hell. |
