172 Switzerland. 
canton sent a delegate, had deliberative functions. 
Almost immediately after the alliance was formed it 
became fatally divided, especially when religious differ- 
ences arose, and throughout the 16th and first half of 
the 17th century continuous warfare existed between the 
different allies. 
It must not, however, be understood that the peasants 
in the different cantons were entirely free from the an- 
cient tyrannies. With the exception of the three forest 
cantons, which were truly democratic republics, the ma- 
jority of the Swiss peasants, free in the eyes of the out- 
side world, were mere serfs until the beginning of the 
18th century, and secured their freedom only after many 
revolts. 
After nearly 500 years of this loose federation, it was 
reserved to Napoleon to proclaim the Helvetian Repub- 
lic one and indivisible in 1798, after a short struggle 
of 74 days. This constitution fell with the fall of Na- 
poleon, and gave place in 1815 to a re-organized federa- 
tion, in which the former sovereignty of each canton was 
re-established, the inviolability of the territory being 
guaranteed by the European powers. Finally in 1848, 
the seventh and last phase of reconstruction brought into 
existence the “Bund,” the Confederation of Switzerland, 
very much after the pattern of the United States, the 
constitution then adopted being once more revised in 
1874. 
The country is divided into 19 entire and 6 half states 
or cantons, which are a unit towards foreign powers, but 
have as much independence among themselves as our 
States, each self-governing. A parliament (Bundesver- 
sammlung) of two chambers, the Nationalrath of 145 
