Editing History of Switzerland (section)

=== History after 1945 ===
{{further||Politics of Switzerland}}
During the [[Cold War]], Swiss authorities [[Switzerland and weapons of mass destruction|considered the construction]] of a Swiss [[nuclear bomb]].<ref>[http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq7-4.html 7.4 States Formerly Possessing or Pursuing Nuclear Weapons<!-- Bot generated title -->] Retrieved March 5, 2014</ref> Leading nuclear physicists at the [[ETH Zurich|Federal Institute of Technology Zurich]] such as [[Paul Scherrer]] made this a realistic possibility. However, financial problems with the defense budget prevented substantial funds from being allocated, and the [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]] of 1968 was seen as a valid alternative. All remaining plans for building nuclear weapons were dropped by 1988.<ref>[http://peaceandhealthblog.com/2010/10/09/swiss-nuclear-bomb/ Swiss nuclear bomb] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305115926/http://peaceandhealthblog.com/2010/10/09/swiss-nuclear-bomb/ |date=March 5, 2014}} ''International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War'' October 9, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2014</ref>

[[File:Pascal Couchepin - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|thumb|Opening speech by president [[Pascal Couchepin]] at the [[World Economic Forum]], one of the many international organizations based in Switzerland]]

From 1959, the [[Swiss Federal Council|Federal Council]], elected by the parliament, is composed of members of the four major parties, the Protestant [[Free Democratic Party of Switzerland|Free Democrats]], the Catholic [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|Christian Democrats]], the left-wing [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democrats]], and the right-wing [[Swiss People's Party|People's Party]], essentially creating a system without a sizeable [[parliamentary opposition]] (see [[concordance system]]), reflecting the powerful position of an opposition in a [[direct democracy]].

In 1963, Switzerland joined the [[Council of Europe]]. In 1979, parts of the canton of [[Bern]] attained independence, forming the new [[canton of Jura]].

Switzerland's role in many United Nations and international organizations helped to mitigate the country's concern for neutrality. In 2002, Switzerland voters gave 55% of their vote in favour of the UN and joined the United Nations. This followed decades of debate and its previous rejection of membership in 1986 by a 3-1 popular vote.<ref>See [http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Moving_towards_the_UN_in_slow_motion.html?cid=291972 "Moving towards the UN in slow motion" ''SWI'' May 25, 2007] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113033826/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Moving_towards_the_UN_in_slow_motion.html?cid=291972 |date=November 13, 2013}}</ref>

[[Women's suffrage in Switzerland|Swiss women gained the right to vote]] in national-level elections in 1971, and an equal rights amendment was ratified in 1981;<ref>{{cite book | last = Banaszak | first = Lee Ann | title = Why movements succeed or fail: Opportunity, culture, and the struggle for woman suffrage | publisher = Princeton University Press | location = Princeton, NJ | year = 1996 | isbn = 978-0-691-02639-8 }}</ref> however, not until 1990 did the courts establish full nationwide voting rights for women in all elections.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appenzell Inner Rhodes: the last Swiss canton to give women the vote |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/a-visit-to-appenzell-inner-rhodes--the-last-canton-to-grant-women-the-right-to-vote-in-switzerland-/46328984 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=24 September 2022 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921205736/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/a-visit-to-appenzell-inner-rhodes--the-last-canton-to-grant-women-the-right-to-vote-in-switzerland-/46328984 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Switzerland is not a member state of the [[European Union|EU]] but has been (together with [[Liechtenstein]]) surrounded by EU territory since the accession of Austria in 1995. In 2005, Switzerland agreed to join the [[Schengen treaty]] and [[Dublin Convention]] by popular vote. In February 2014, Swiss voters approved [[Swiss immigration referendum, February 2014|a referendum]] to reinstitute quotas on immigration to Switzerland, setting off a period of finding an implementation that would not violate the [[European Single Market#Free movement of persons|EU's freedom of movement accords]] that Switzerland adopted.

Following the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Switzerland decided to adopt all EU sanctions against Russia. According to the [[Swiss President]] [[Ignazio Cassis]], the measures were "unprecedented but consistent with [[Swiss neutrality]]". The administration also confirmed that Switzerland would continue to offer its services to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Switzerland only participates in humanitarian missions and provides relief supplies to the Ukrainian population and neighbouring countries.