[1] Historically, the conflict originates with the Congress of Vienna (1815), where the Jurassic territories of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel were given to Bern.
In 1952, the opposing anti-separatist side was constituted as the Union des patriotes jurassiens (UPJ).
In a second poll of 16 March 1975, the four districts of Courtelary, La Neuveville, Moutier and Laufen voted in favour of remaining with Bern.
In 1984, the Black Boxes scandal was revealed: the canton of Bern had illegally distributed over 430,000 CHF between 1974 and 1982 to Loyalist groups to influence votes and referendums.
After the scandal of the Black Boxes, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ordered a new vote that took place on 12 November 1989.
The Béliers continued though to engage in acts of vandalism to express their outrage at what they claimed were irregularities in the plebiscites of 1974 and 1975, among other things stealing the Unspunnen Stone in 1984, and destroying the historic "Fountain of Justice" statue in Bern in 1986.
On 25 March 1994, the Inter-Jura Assembly was created by the Swiss Confederation to allow dialogue between the North and the South.
In the same year, a Conseil du Jura bernois was formed, the only example of a regional parliament in Switzerland.
The project is accepted in the Canton of Jura by 76.6%[5] but is rejected in the South by 71.8%[6] with the notable exception of Moutier (55% Yes), Belprahon and Sorvilier.