"Due to its geographical location, the ethnic composition of its population, and its relatively minute territory, Switzerland has had to obtain neutral status in order to maintain its internal cohesion. The Swiss Alps serves to link Germany and France through the Italian peninsula, and throughout the country's history, its national territory has been coveted by surrounding powers. Declaring neutrality and being ready to enforce it was and continues to be the best means by which Switzerland can maintain national security.
The Swiss population is composed of French, German, Italian, and Romansh speakers. These are the four official languages of the country, and they represent the diversity that existed within its borders for much of its history. In fact, in the late 18th and early 19th century, the nation was reduced to a vassal state due to internal disorder. It was Napoleon Bonaparte who, in 1803, restored order.
With Napoleon’s defeat, however, the Swiss were determined never to suffer an invasion again. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna, consisting of major European powers who had convened to discuss international relations in the post-Napoleonic era, deemed Switzerland to be a neutral country. This neutrality was reaffirmed in 1920 by numerous countries. Once it joined the League of Nations, during the 1920s and 1930s, it was willing to take on the duties of member nations, thereby making its neutral status void. In the 1930s, however, the country regained its neutral status once it was relieved of these duties."