The Restoration 1815-30
Cartoon of 1815: Pilgrimage to the Diet in Zurich. Bern - represented by the muzzled bear - wants the return of its subject territories, Vaud and Aargau, whose colours are carried by the two monkeys. A man in the livery of Zurich leads the way, while a Cossack takes up the rear. Russia played a key role in ensuring that the new cantons of 1803 kept their status.© Bern Historical Museum
Despite the success of the aristocrats and guilds in restoring their old privileges, the system was doomed to failure in the long run.
The restoration of cantonal autonomy was an obstacle to economic development, as each canton once again minted its own money, levied tolls and customs and had its own system of weights and measures. Doing business between cantons was as complicated as doing it with foreign countries. Development was also hindered by the fact that people were restricted from settling in a canton other than their own.
Liberals objected to the pressure put on Switzerland by the European great powers - France and Austro-Hungary - to preserve the conservative social order.
They responded with an upsurge in patriotic feeling. Supporters of change founded numerous societies, where Swiss from different cantons could get to know each other and cement an awareness of shared "Swissness."
Link to other website
- An English traveller describes a lengthy stay in Switzerland in 1816 The Langton Letters