History questions follow the path from the Old Swiss Confederacy to the federal state and the present day.
The Federal Charter of 1291 is regarded as the founding document; it is kept in the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation in Schwyz. By 1513 the alliance had grown to thirteen members, with Lucerne joining in 1332 as the first city. Key battles such as Sempach (1386), Grandson and Murten (1476) are part of the basics, as is the Reformation led by Zwingli in Zurich.
The Old Confederacy ended with the French invasion in 1798, and in 1803 the Act of Mediation created new cantons such as Aargau. After the Sonderbund War the federal state was founded in 1848, and the optional referendum followed in 1874. From the 20th century you should know the generals of both world wars, the old-age pension AHV of 1948, women’s suffrage in 1971 and the first woman in the Federal Council, Elisabeth Kopp (1984).
24 of the 65 questions on this topic in our question bank · Tap an answer to see if it is right. Under “Show answer” you find the solution with an explanation and the source.
Correct answer: A – 1291
The Federal Charter is dated early August 1291. In it, Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden (Unterwalden) promised each other mutual assistance. It is regarded today as Switzerland's founding document, commemorated by the national holiday on 1 August.
Source: bundesbrief.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – In the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation in Schwyz
The original Federal Charter is displayed in the Bundesbriefmuseum (Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation) in Schwyz. The parchment is written in Latin and bears the seals of the valley communities involved.
Source: bundesbrief.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – 1386
At Sempach (canton of Lucerne), on 9 July 1386, the Confederates defeated the army of Duke Leopold III of Habsburg, who was killed in the battle. The legend of Arnold Winkelried is associated with this battle.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Lucerne
Lucerne formed an alliance with Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden in 1332. Zurich (1351), Glarus and Zug (1352) and Bern (1353) followed, creating the Confederation of the eight cantons.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – Grandson and Murten
In 1476 the Confederates defeated the Burgundian army first at Grandson (March) and then at Murten (June). Part of the rich booty from Grandson, such as tapestries and works of art, can be seen in Swiss museums today.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Appenzell
In 1513 Appenzell was admitted as the 13th canton, completing the Old Confederacy of the 13 cantons, which lasted until 1798. Basel and Schaffhausen had joined in 1501.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – Huldrych Zwingli
Huldrych (Ulrich) Zwingli became people's priest at the Grossmünster in Zurich in 1519 and introduced the Reformation there. From Zurich the Reformation spread to other cantons such as Bern, Basel and Schaffhausen.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – At the Battle of Kappel
Zwingli was killed in 1531 at Kappel am Albis in the Second War of Kappel between Reformed and Catholic cantons. The Confederation then remained divided along confessional lines, which shaped it for centuries.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – The invasion of French troops
In 1798 French revolutionary troops invaded the Confederation. The Old Confederacy collapsed and France set up the Helvetic Republic.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – Aargau
In 1803 six new cantons were added: St. Gallen, Graubünden, Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino and Vaud. Geneva, Valais and Neuchâtel followed in 1815, Jura only in 1979.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – Federal Diet (Tagsatzung)
The Federal Diet (Tagsatzung) was the assembly of envoys of the confederate cantons. It was not a parliament in today's sense, as the envoys were bound by their cantons' instructions. In 1848 it was replaced by the Federal Assembly.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – Guillaume-Henri Dufour
General Guillaume-Henri Dufour of Geneva led the Diet's troops and tried to wage the war as humanely as possible. He was also a co-founder of the Red Cross and creator of the first accurate map of Switzerland (the Dufour map).
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – The optional legislative referendum
The revised Federal Constitution of 1874 introduced the optional referendum: since then the people can demand a vote on federal laws by collecting signatures. The popular initiative for partial revision of the Constitution was added in 1891.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – The Battle of Solferino in 1859
Geneva businessman Henri Dunant witnessed the suffering of the wounded after the Battle of Solferino in northern Italy in 1859. In his book 'A Memory of Solferino' he called for neutral relief societies for the war-wounded.
Source: icrc.org · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – The Nobel Peace Prize
In 1901 Henri Dunant received the first Nobel Peace Prize together with the Frenchman Frédéric Passy. He was living in poverty in Heiden (Appenzell Ausserrhoden) at the time, where a museum commemorates him today.
Source: nobelprize.org · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – Ulrich Wille
During the First World War (1914–1918) the Federal Assembly elected Ulrich Wille as general. Switzerland remained neutral but suffered shortages and social tensions. Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg was Chief of the General Staff.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – Henri Guisan
On 30 August 1939 the Federal Assembly elected Henri Guisan from Vaud as general. He became a symbol of the will to resist; many streets and squares still bear his name today.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – A programme to increase domestic food production
Under the plan named after Friedrich Traugott Wahlen, the area under cultivation was greatly expanded; even parks and sports fields were planted. The aim was to secure food supplies despite import difficulties; the campaign also had great symbolic importance.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – 1948
After the people approved it in 1947, the AHV came into force on 1 January 1948. It remains the most important pillar of old-age provision in Switzerland. Old-age insurance had already been a demand of the 1918 general strike.
Source: ahv-iv.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp (FDP, Zurich) became the first female member of the Federal Council in 1984. Ruth Dreifuss became the first female President of the Confederation in 1999.
Source: admin.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Membership of the European Economic Area (EEA)
On 6 December 1992, 50.3% of voters and a majority of cantons rejected joining the EEA. Switzerland then chose the bilateral path with the European Union.
Source: eda.admin.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Since December 2008
The people approved association with Schengen and Dublin on 5 June 2005. Since 12 December 2008 (at airports since March 2009) there have been no systematic checks on persons at land borders. Customs checks on goods continue, as Switzerland is not part of the EU customs union.
Source: eda.admin.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – 2023–2024
Elected by the UN General Assembly in 2022, Switzerland served on the Security Council for the first time as a non-permanent member in 2023 and 2024. It stressed that this was compatible with its neutrality.
Source: eda.admin.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – The Laufental
After several votes, the German-speaking Laufental moved from the canton of Bern to Basel-Landschaft on 1 January 1994. The change was a consequence of the reorganisation following the creation of the canton of Jura.
Source: hls-dhs-dss.ch · Checked October 2026