Publication series of the BiG number 72
The number 72: Fritz Kälin, Die schweizerische «Gesamtverteidigung», is published in the Publication series of the BiG. We wish you a joyful reading. To order a number of the Publication series of the BiG please follow the link below.
Memories of Switzerland during the Cold War are dominated by idealised conceptions of neutrality, and the fears of that era of nuclear war and invasions by «red armies» and fifth columnists. The «overall defence» strategy, which was devised in 1973 and appeared in the Federal Council’s first Security Policy Report, has almost been forgotten. This complex strategy in essence focused on one objective: defending the country’s independence against all foreign powers. The reason why Switzerland adhered to a policy of strict neutrality after 1945 «even though it considered itself part of the West in economic, political and cultural terms» is the most important of the many questions about the overall defence strategy that this book answers.