Knowra Swiss Confederation Swiss Confederation The federal state of Switzerland, composed of cantons and governed through shared federal institutions. Its official name preserves the historical language of confederation despite its federal structure.
Federal Constitution of Switzerland : Switzerland’s supreme legal framework, defining federal institutions, cantonal powers, and political rights. It establishes the Confederation’s institutions and allocates powers among its levels of government.
Cantons of Switzerland : Switzerland’s 26 constituent states, each with its own constitution, government, and parliament. They are the Confederation’s principal constituent units and retain extensive governing powers.
Old Swiss Confederacy : A loose alliance of Swiss territories that developed from the late medieval period until 1798. It was the historical predecessor whose name and alliance tradition the modern state inherited.
Swiss Confederation (1291–1798) : A historical alliance of largely self-governing Swiss territories that preceded the modern federal state. Unlike the present state, it lacked a permanent central government with comparable constitutional authority.
Federal Council : Switzerland’s seven-member executive governing body, elected by the Federal Assembly. It exercises the Confederation’s executive authority collectively rather than through a single president.
Communes of Switzerland : Switzerland’s local government units, whose responsibilities and autonomy vary by canton. They form the local tier beneath cantons and help carry out public administration.
Tagsatzung : The assembly of delegates through which the Old Swiss Confederacy coordinated among its members. Its limited central authority contrasts with the modern Confederation’s permanent federal institutions.
Confederation : A political union in which constituent states retain primary sovereignty and delegate limited powers to common institutions. The label suggests this looser arrangement, although Switzerland has operated as a federal state since 1848.
Federal Assembly : Switzerland’s bicameral national legislature, comprising the National Council and Council of States. It makes federal law while representing both the population and the cantons.
Swiss National Council : The larger chamber of Switzerland’s Federal Assembly, with seats apportioned by population. Its representation of residents complements the cantonal representation of the Council of States.
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