Swiss Passport

When did the standard of living in Switzerland rise significantly for many people?

Wann stieg der Lebensstandard in der Schweiz für viele Menschen deutlich an?

Correct answer: C

  1. A around 1900um 1900
  2. B in the 1930sin den 1930er-Jahren
  3. C in the 1960sin den 1960er-Jahren
  4. D in the 1990sin den 1990er-Jahren

Why

After the Second World War, the economy grew strongly. In the 1960s, wages rose particularly fast, and many people could afford a car, a television and holidays.

Common mistakes

A: around 1900
Around 1900, many working-class families still lived in poverty and worked very long hours.
B: in the 1930s
In the 1930s, there was the Great Depression with high unemployment.

Topic

Prosperity and AHV

After the Second World War, Switzerland was not destroyed. The factories could produce immediately. In the 1950s and especially in the 1960s, the economy grew very strongly. This period is called the economic boom (Hochkonjunktur). There was more work than there were workers. Wages rose significantly, especially quickly in the 1960s. The standard of living rose sharply for many people.

Timeline of Swiss history
  1. 58 BCHelvetii and Romans
  2. 1291The Rütli and William Tell
  3. 1515Marignano
  4. 1523The Reformation
  5. 1798The French and Napoleon
  6. 1815Neutrality
  7. 1848Sonderbund War and the federal state
  8. 19th c.From agrarian state to industrial state
  9. 1918National general strike
  10. 1939–1945Second World War
  11. 1948Prosperity and AHV
  12. 1970Immigration and the Schwarzenbach initiative
  13. 1971Women's suffrage and equal rights
  14. 1979The youngest canton: Jura

History of Switzerland
The 20th century

Sources

Last checked: September 2026

Question 224 of the official question list of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.

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