Swiss Passport

Who fought against each other in the Sonderbund War of 1847?

Wer kämpfte im Sonderbundskrieg 1847 gegeneinander?

Correct answer: C

  1. A Nobility and peasantsAdel und Bauern
  2. B Zurich and BernZürich und Bern
  3. C Catholics and LiberalsKatholiken und Liberale
  4. D Western Switzerland and TicinoWestschweiz und Tessin

Why

The Catholic conservative cantons of the Sonderbund fought against the liberal majority of the cantons. The Liberals won after about three weeks.

Common mistakes

B: Zurich and Bern
Zurich and Bern were both liberal and fought on the same side.
A: Nobility and peasants
A fight between nobility and peasants fits the Middle Ages, not the Sonderbund War.

Topic

Sonderbund War and the federal state of 1848

At the beginning of the 19th century, Switzerland was a loose alliance of cantons. There was a dispute between two groups. The Liberals, mainly in Reformed cantons, wanted a stronger common state. The Catholic-conservative cantons wanted to keep their independence. In 1845 they formed their own alliance: the Sonderbund (separate alliance). It included seven cantons, for example Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz and Fribourg.

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
Federal state and industrialisation

Sources

Last checked: September 2026

Question 228 of the official question list of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.

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