“With its second federal constitution of 1874, Switzerland was suddenly catapulted to the forefront of democracy development worldwide. No canton had voted so strongly in favour of radical change as Schaffhausen.” This article by Carol Pisani and Renat Kuenzi, is published by Swiss Info. Here is an excerpt:

Adopting the new federal constitution marked a milestone in Swiss history. It brought about several important improvements, making up for just about everything the original constitution lacked.

Many of these improvements would not have happened without what became known as the Democratic Movement. This movement had arisen in several parts of Switzerland in response to controversial decisions taken by cantonal parliaments, such as Basel Country and Basel City moving towards reunification and building railroads through farm land in Bern.

Effects of industrialisation

Taking agricultural land to make way for a steam train was typical of the decisions of that era. Industrialisation, which was changing Switzerland at a feverish pace, did not suit everyone. Many felt that progress was riding roughshod over them.

 Read the full article here.