Cantonal spirit
In Switzerland, cantonal league is a term with negative connotations for thinking and acting that are geared towards the individual cantons or for cantonal particularism . In incorrect but frequent use, it also stands for Swiss federalism as such.
term
The term Kantönligeist - in the term with a diminutive see the article -li - found since the 19th century, where in addition to today little more common words as he Örtligeist and Gmeindli spirit was.
It arose because of the tension between cantonal sovereignty on the one hand and federal efforts towards unification on the other, which has persisted since the state was founded in 1848 . To ensure conflict-free coexistence of these groups in Switzerland, a nation of wills , state-political instruments such as federalism and later direct democracy were introduced and the greatest possible autonomy of the cantons was retained. Each canton has extensive sovereignty over the constitution, culture, education, direct taxes, judiciary, police, construction, nature conservation, homeland security and the penal system. Federalism is intended to guarantee the cultural diversity of the various linguistic and cultural groups (German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic cultures), of the urban and rural cantons and between the Swiss and Alpine cantons and describes the need of all cantons to maintain and increase their independence true. On the other hand, the increasing mobility of the population, the spatial convergence of Switzerland and the country's close economic ties call for uniform regulations for all of Switzerland.
The term “cantonal league” should not be confused with cantonization and cantonalism .
use
Today, federalism is reduced to the so-called "cantonal spirit" primarily by representatives of the centralized understanding of the state or supranationality . This means that the subsidiary regulatory differences that have grown over time between the cantons or municipalities are presented as outdated or even discriminatory. Supporters of the central government often claim that the cantonal spirit is holding back the political and economic development of Switzerland. Disadvantages of more complex procedures in the case of common concerns are offset by the fact that jointly developed solutions are shared by everyone.
It is not uncommon for the term to be used pejoratively for narrow-minded and provincial thinking in order to undermine criticism of a lack of cooperation and too few federal responsibilities. The term is vague, however, since it is part of the essence of a federal state that the sub-states have greater autonomy.
A survey from the spring of 2017 shows that two thirds of the younger generation of under 30-year-olds no longer identify with the federal principle of Switzerland or the cantonal spirit.
Web links
- Cantons: one nation or 26 cantons? Contribution by the Swiss radio station DRS1, in the meeting point serieson September 30, 2011
Individual evidence
- ^ Kurt Meyer : Swiss dictionary. That's what we say in Switzerland. Huber, Frauenfeld / Stuttgart / Vienna 2006, ISBN 978-3-7193-1382-1 , p. 160.
- ^ Hans Bickel , Christoph Landolt : Swiss High German. Dictionary of the standard language in German-speaking Switzerland. Edited by the Swiss Association for the German Language . 2nd, completely revised and expanded edition. Dudenverlag, Berlin 2018, p. 49.
- ↑ Duden | Cantonal spirit | Spelling, meaning, definition, synonyms. Retrieved January 5, 2018 .
- ↑ kantönligeist | Spelling and Foreign Words | PONS. Retrieved January 5, 2018 .
- ↑ See for example Christoph Aebischer: The cantonal league is an advantage . In: Berner Zeitung, Berner Zeitung . 2017, ISSN 1424-1021 ( bernerzeitung.ch [accessed on January 5, 2018]).
- ↑ Schweizerisches Idiotikon , Volume 2 (1885), column 489 ( digitized version ).
- ^ University of Friborg: Federalism 2.0 - More than a cantonal league
- ^ Markus G. Jud, Lucerne, Switzerland: Federalism and multilingualism in Switzerland. Retrieved January 5, 2018 .
- ^ Institute for Federalism: Swiss Federalism | Institute for Federalism. Retrieved January 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Those under 30 don't give a damn about the cantonal league spirit. In: 20 minutes from May 8, 2017.