Switzerland's mountains have played an essential role in shaping the history of the country and the attitudes of the Swiss people.

For centuries they acted as a barrier. In the Middle Ages the small communities in their mountain fastnesses were able to resist attempts by powerful overlords to curb their freedoms. At the same time, surrounded by potential threats, they felt the necessity to band together to protect themselves.

Many Swiss are proud that in spite of their small numbers, they have always been ready to resist powerful neighbours, from the Habsburgs to Hitler. Had the Germans invaded during World War II the Swiss had contingency plans to destroy bridges, block tunnels, and conduct resistance from an impregnable redoubt in the central mountains.

They have long seen themselves as a "special case." No-one who discusses the Swiss national identity can escape from this idea. It is attacked and mocked by left-wing intellectuals, who accuse their fellow-countrymen of being self-satisfied and backward looking, and having what they call a "hedgehog mentality" - rolling up into a ball to protect themselves against the outside world, which they would rather ignore. When such intellectuals call into question some of Switzerland's actions and attitudes, they are frequently accused by their opponents of "soiling the nest." Nevertheless, Swiss business circles too are worried lest old "hedgehog" attitudes cut the country off from the rest of the world.