Historical Dictionary of Switzerland: 53 (Historical Dictionaries of Europe) - Tapa dura

...a solid reference and resource....Highly recommended.... * Wisconsin Bookwatch, September 2007 * ...a model for future works....Leo Schelbert seamlessly weaves together the strands of his complex interpretive perspective into a reference work accessible to the general reader as well as the specialist....an example of the historian's craft at its best. * Swiss Review, October 2007 * this new volume will help readers to find reference information about the country, its multicultural population, its history, culture, and more....The entries themselves offer a wealth of information.... * American Reference Books Annual, March 2008 * In selecting the approximately 1000 topics in Swiss history covered here, Schelbert (history, U. of Zurich, Switzerland) was concerned most with characterizing Switzerland's 26 cantons (member states) and their capitals, with biographical figures whose activities reached international levels, and with each topic's possible relevance to Swiss living abroad and international researchers. Following a timeline and an introduction to the country's geography, politics, society, languages, and history, the entries shed light on Switzerland's earliest human arrivals, the evolution of its four distinct ethnolinguistic groups, its singular role in WWII and global relations since then, and many other subjects. Appendices explain select political terms and offer data on Swiss living abroad. * Reference and Research Book News, August 2007 * Schelbert does an excellent job and the overall balance of material is good and the content and writing within the entries concise but informative. * "American Reference Books Annual" *

Switzerland's exceptional scenic beauty of valleys, lakes, and mountains, its central location on international trade routes, and its world famous banking system are just a few elements that have contributed to its rise in the global market. This relatively small nation is actively engaged in the maintenance of peace among nations and at the forefront of technological research. Consisting of twenty-six member states, called cantons, the history of the Swiss Confederation is as rich and varied as its culture and people. The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland features the nation's multicultural and democratic traditions and institutions, its complex history, and its people's involvement in past and present world affairs. This is done through a list of abbreviations and acronyms, a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, maps, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions, as well as significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects. This informative, concise, and accurate reference corrects the numerous false impressions of this important country.