Militia System

[1] In the Swiss model of society, the militia system forms a central pillar alongside direct democracy, federalism and concordance.

[2] In practice, it encompasses political and military affairs, and extends to other areas of general interest, such as communal tasks or disaster management.

The militia principle is based on the republican idea that capable citizens should take on public duties and tasks in an extra-professional and honorary capacity (ehrenamtlich).

[3] From the perspective of the democratic ideal, popular sovereignty thus encompasses not only participation in decision-making on public affairs (self-determination), but also in their execution (self-management).

Historically, the militia principle is based on the idea of the citizen-soldier, which originated in Antiquity and was reappropriated in modern times, particularly during the French Revolution.

[8][9] In Switzerland, militia spirit, as individual responsibility towards the group, was a long-standing tradition, introduced to the population of rural communities and confederal regions in the late Middle Ages, as witnessed by the Federal Charter of 1291.

At that time, mutual aid was widespread in the form of various cooperative organizations, and echoed the Christian duty of assistance (Caritas).

Swiss Enlightenment pioneers (e.g. Béat Louis de Muralt, Isaac Iselin) established that courage, frugality, mutual aid, confidence in one's own judgment and rejection of worldly artifice were essential republican values for building a national consciousness and a communalist state structure in Switzerland.

[11] Voluntary militia activities are numerous in Swiss public life, reflecting their essential role in the federalist model of direct democracy.

This category has now de facto disappeared completely in the Council of States: the majority of members devote more than two-thirds of their working time to a parliamentary mandate.

The Swiss army is made up of soldiers and officers with civilian occupations who are called up for military service on a weekly basis or in block for a certain number of years.