Defending the Bourgeois State against Fascism: Swiss Social Democratic Lead- ers after the Fall of France in 1940
In May and June 1940, the German army defeated France. In just a few weeks, most of Western Europe found itself under German rule, leaving neutral Switzerland encircled by Axis powers. Facing this radically new context, Swiss political and economic leaders were confronted with equally radical strategic questions: How far should Switzerland go in accommodating to the new Europe? Historians have indeed described the summer of 1940 as a moment of deep political and economic uncertainty, when Europe oscillated between fascism, liberalism and socialism. But while historians have thoroughly studied debates within the conservative establishment in Switzerland, the labor movement during that period has been relatively neglected. To fill this gap, this article investigates the debates held among trade unions and socialist leaders. The authors show that they defended the bourgeois state in order to save, if nothing else, what was most important in a very unfavorable context: national independence (against Nazi Germany) and democratic institutions (against pro-fascist forces in Switzerland), and promoting social justice for the working class. In doing so, they aimed at maximizing their influence despite headwinds. The strategic options of this pivotal summer resonate with the history of the political integration of Swiss Social Democracy.