Swiss Passport

In 1877, child labour was banned in Switzerland. Why?

Im Jahr 1877 hat man die Kinderarbeit in der Schweiz verboten. Warum?

Correct answer: C

  1. A Children had to help at home on the farms.Kinder mussten zuhause auf den Bauernhöfen mithelfen.
  2. B Children could not be used for heavy and dangerous work anyway.Kinder konnten bei schweren und gefährlichen Arbeiten sowieso nicht eingesetzt werden.
  3. C Children could not go to school because they worked in factories.Kinder konnten nicht zur Schule gehen, weil sie in Fabriken arbeiteten.
  4. D Children were hired out for work. But they earned too little there.Kinder wurden zur Arbeit ausgeliehen. Sie verdienten dort aber zu wenig.

Why

Children worked many hours in factories and therefore could not go to school. The Factory Act of 1877 banned factory work for children under 14.

Common mistakes

A: Children had to help at home on the farms.
The law only concerned factories; helping on the farm was not banned.
D: Children were hired out for work. But they earned too little there.
The reason for the ban was the children's health and education, not their low wages.

Topic

From agrarian state to industrial state

Around 1800, most people in Switzerland lived from agriculture. In the 19th century, Switzerland changed from an agrarian state into an industrial state. Industrialisation means: goods are made with machines in factories instead of by hand. The basis was an invention from England: the steam engine. In the 18th century, James Watt improved it so that it could drive machines in factories. This started industrialisation in Europe in the 19th century.

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

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