Federal Republics

[Shofercia]

Switzerland may be a federal republic, it may be managed better than other nation-states, but Switzerland is NOT cool.

Switzerland and the Swiss should pat themselves on the back and be thankful they don't live in a dysfunctional state, but they should also be thankful the United States and the United Kingdom affords them the privilege to live free and prosperous.

Switzerland was neutral during World War II when the Nazis were murdered millions of innocent people, including 6 million innocent Jews.

That's not cool, that's pragmatic.

Cool is pulling up your sleeves and hitting the beach at Omaha, Juno, Sword, Utah and Gold to liberate the hundreds of millions of souls from Nazi tyranny.

That's cool.

It was a federal constitutional republic that defeated a totalitarian dictatorship is 1945 and made Western Europe more free, peaceful, stable and prosperous than ever before.

That's cool.

So how exactly did the US/UK help Switzerland remain free after 1945? Also, it's rather interesting how the USSR, which did the lion's share of fighting Nazis, is not mentioned in your post.

[Elybrit]

Switzerland may be a federal republic, it may be managed better than other nation-states, but Switzerland is NOT cool.

Switzerland and the Swiss should pat themselves on the back and be thankful they don't live in a dysfunctional state, but they should also be thankful the United States and the United Kingdom affords them the privilege to live free and prosperous.

Switzerland was neutral during World War II when the Nazis were murdered millions of innocent people, including 6 million innocent Jews.

That's not cool, that's pragmatic.

Cool is pulling up your sleeves and hitting the beach at Omaha, Juno, Sword, Utah and Gold to liberate the hundreds of millions of souls from Nazi tyranny.

That's cool.

It was a federal constitutional republic that defeated a totalitarian dictatorship is 1945 and made Western Europe more free, peaceful, stable and prosperous than ever before.

That's cool.

So how exactly did the US/UK help Switzerland remain free after 1945? Also, it's rather interesting how the USSR, which did the lion's share of fighting Nazis, is not mentioned in your post.

The Swiss would be governed from Berlin or speaking Russian if not for the United States. The tiny Swiss federation wouldn't last long under constant aerial bombardment and siege from either the Russian or Germans.

It's rather interesting how the tremendous USA shipment of munitions and supplies to a besieged Soviet Union when the issue was in doubt, is not mentioned in your post.

[Elybrit]

It was with Trump dismissing the house of representatives and assigning military governors to rule directly it is more akin to a constitutional dictatorship now.

lmfao what

LOL.

Ditto that.

LMFAO what is this ?!?----> "It was with Trump dismissing the house of representatives and assigning military governors to rule directly it is more akin to a constitutional dictatorship now" ~ Greed and Death

[Shofercia]

So how exactly did the US/UK help Switzerland remain free after 1945? Also, it's rather interesting how the USSR, which did the lion's share of fighting Nazis, is not mentioned in your post.

The Swiss would be governed from Berlin or speaking Russian if not for the United States. The tiny Swiss federation wouldn't last long under constant aerial bombardment and siege from either the Russian or Germans.

It's rather interesting how the tremendous USA shipment of munitions and supplies to a besieged Soviet Union when the issue was in doubt, is not mentioned in your post.

The Swiss are speaking Russian. And English. And German. And French. They can speak multiple languages, possibly because they have a school system that teaches them that the sacrifice of millions of people is more important than material shipments. Then again, someone who's unable to figure that out, would be exactly the type to think that the Soviets wanted more war after 1945. Somehow Yugoslavia also stayed neutral, not invaded by the Soviets, but apparently the Swiss would be, because... magic!

[The National Salvation Front for Russia]

Stalin invading Switzerland? That's retarded, Stalin didn't invade Yugoslavia or Greece, proposed a united but truly neutral Germany and discouraged revolutions in France and Italy. Stalin was a tyrant, but a very pragmatic one.

[Western Vale Confederacy]

Stalin invading Switzerland? That's retarded, Stalin didn't invade Yugoslavia or Greece, proposed a united but truly neutral Germany and discouraged revolutions in France and Italy. Stalin was a tyrant, but a very pragmatic one.

I wouldn't call eliminating thousands of officers on ephemeral treason accusations "pragmatic"...

[Shofercia]

Stalin invading Switzerland? That's retarded, Stalin didn't invade Yugoslavia or Greece, proposed a united but truly neutral Germany and discouraged revolutions in France and Italy. Stalin was a tyrant, but a very pragmatic one.

I wouldn't call eliminating thousands of officers on ephemeral treason accusations "pragmatic"...

True, but Stalin also didn't invade Yugoslavia, so claiming that he would've invaded Switzerland is rather laughable.

[The National Salvation Front for Russia]

I wouldn't call eliminating thousands of officers on ephemeral treason accusations "pragmatic"...

While his pragmatism lied moreso with foreign policy, I assume his purges were based on fears of a Red Napoleon. It's why Zhukov was sidelined following the war.

[Kistan]

Well, it depends. With a nation with a tight territorial area and population group, like Luxembourg or South Korea, there's no real point. The main advantage of a federal system is that far-flung, ethnically dissimilar, and subcultural regions within a nation are not ignored and have a tier of government that (theoretically) can relate to their local needs. It acts as a stopgap measure against separatism and keeps people happy (again, theoretically -- it doesn't always work). The disadvantage is that for a nation that is culturally and climatically homogenous, it's just another layer of bureacracy.

TL;DR seems like it's good for geographically big or culturally mixed countries, but not really worth it for monoculture states.

[Atheris]

damn, Switzerland looks hella cool

too bad i'm a supporter of gun restrictions (not a total ban, don't get me wrong) though

Switzerland also has decent mental healthcare, so they don't have mass shootings that aren't "politically inspired" by local idiots: https://www.businessinsider.com/switzer ... ths-2018-2

Switzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here's why it doesn't have mass shootings...

Switzerland hasn't had a mass shooting since 2001, when a man stormed the local parliament in Zug, killing 14 people and then himself. The country has about 2 million privately owned guns in a nation of 8.3 million people. In 2016, the country had 47 attempted homicides with firearms. The country's overall murder rate is near zero...

Unlike the US, Switzerland has mandatory military service for men. All men between the ages of 18 and 34 deemed "fit for service" are given a pistol or a rifle and trained. After they've finished their service, the men can typically buy and keep their service weapons, but they have to get a permit for them. In recent years, the Swiss government has voted to reduce the size of the country's armed forces.

Lots of guns + high quality training + decent mental healthcare program = no apolitical mass shootings, and maybe one political mass shooting in a decade; it also prevents numerous murders and rapes.

ngl, Switzerland does look like a dream home, but honestly i'm torn between them and norway

i love both, and i can roughly speak both german and norwegian, but i think if i had to choose between the two i would choose Switzerland even if the square flag thing is really weird

[Ghost Land]

Well, it depends. With a nation with a tight territorial area and population group, like Luxembourg or South Korea, there's no real point. The main advantage of a federal system is that far-flung, ethnically dissimilar, and subcultural regions within a nation are not ignored and have a tier of government that (theoretically) can relate to their local needs. It acts as a stopgap measure against separatism and keeps people happy (again, theoretically -- it doesn't always work). The disadvantage is that for a nation that is culturally and climatically homogenous, it's just another layer of bureacracy.

TL;DR seems like it's good for geographically big or culturally mixed countries, but not really worth it for monoculture states.

I agree wholeheartedly, and I just don't see the whole concept of a republic or representative democracy as being a good idea either. I truthfully cannot stand how the government of the United States works.