Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kury, Patrick

Titel

The Desire for Homogeneity: Possibilities and Limits of a Swiss Demographic Policy in the First Half of the 20th Century

Ist Teil von

• Historical social research (Köln), 2006-01, Vol.31 (4), p.263-281

Erscheinungsjahr

2006

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The paper analyses the beginning of a Swiss population policy at the intersection of federal, cantonal & non-governmental interests in the twenties & thirties. During World War One, the Federal Council founded the Swiss Foreign Police, a special police unit which formed part of the immigration office. This new police unit was the first federal institution which followed a population policy. In the case of immigration & naturalisation the authorities brought to life a strict population-control. Their point of view was influenced by the discourse about the threat of foreigners ("Uberfremdung"), the catchphrase during the decade after World War One. While they were trying to exclude the "unwanted people" they also encouraged the discrimination of women. At the same time several private associations & some cantons demanded a social policy for families with the aim to raise the birth rate. Because the Swiss federalism was also very strong between the World Wars a population policy under helvetic conditions there was developing: exclusion against outside, discrimination of women inside. Adapted from the source document.