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Alfred Escher | Letters

Volume 4
Alfred Eschers Briefwechsel 1848–1852. Aufbau des jungen Bundesstaates, politische Flüchtlinge und Neutralität

Published by Joseph Jung on behalf of the Alfred Escher Foundation, edited and annotated by Sandra Wiederkehr

Publisher: NZZ Libro
Date: 11.2012
Size: 292 pages
ISBN: 978-3-03823-723-5

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Volume 4 includes 83 letters selected from the 454 written in the period between November 1848 and July 1852. The main focus of the letters is the concrete structuring of the Swiss federal state on the basis of the constitution of 1848: customs agreements, coinage and the postal service, universities and transport – including the Railways Act of 1852. Much attention is also devoted to the refugee question and, consequently, to relations with neighboring countries. The political scene in Canton Zurich is addressed, with a particular focus on the introduction of the "directorial system", education policy and the anniversary of the Swiss Confederation in 1851. A thread that runs through nearly all the letters is the need to consolidate the new federal state and ensure acceptance of the new institutions in the cantons.