SWITZERLAND


WORLD OF THE PLAY: SWITZERLAND IN WORLD WAR I


“...pacific civilian Switzerland—the miraculous neutrality of it, the non-combatant impartiality of it, the non-aggression pacts of it, the international red cross of it—entente to the left, detente to the right.” —Carr in Travesties


Neutral Powers KEY


Central Powers Allied Powers


PRISONERS OF WAR During World War I, Switzerland played a humanitarian role by aiding prisoners of war from across Europe. The International Committee of the Red Cross, based in Geneva, negotiated an agreement with Germany, France, Britain, Russia and Belgium. Wounded and sick prisoners of war were sent from enemy camps to Switzerland, where they could recover before being sent back to their own countries. Henry Carr probably arrived as a British POW in 1916, by which time over 27,000 soldiers had been interned in Switzerland.


ZURICH: A MAGNET FOR REFUGEES In the mid-19th century, Zurich emerged as a modern industrial city. Switzerland’s first major railroad connected Zurich to Baden, Germany in 1847, opening Zurich to international visitors. During World War I, Zurich attracted political exiles, intellectuals, writers, and artists


A NEUTRAL, LANDLOCKED COUNTRY “Switzerland is a birdcage, surrounded by roaring lions.” —Hugo Ball, Dadaist and Founder of Cabaret Voltaire


Modern Switzerland was founded in 1848, and its constitution declared its neutrality in international conflicts. An agreement made at the 1907 Hague Conference stated that, as a neutral country, Switzerland could: • Export goods and arms to warring countries, but could not join any military alliance


• Have diplomatic relations with all the warring countries, but had to treat all states equally


• Admit and house wounded soldiers, but not allow military troops from either side to cross its borders As a landlocked country, the Swiss economy depended on importing raw goods and exporting manufactured goods. At the time of World War I, 40% of its food supply had to be imported. When the war broke out, Switzerland was surrounded by warring countries on every border. In 1914, the Swiss made trade agreements with both France and Germany. France would supply food through its Mediterranean ports, while Germany agreed to import corn and coal.


The streets of Zurich


from around Europe. Many faced increased repression in their own countries, but Swiss neutrality allowed a free exchange of ideas, including artistic responses to the destruction and devastation caused by war. Writers could publish their work in the Swiss papers, magazines, and books. Zurich especially attracted many German and Austrian writers, as well as socialists like Lenin and Trotsky. Cabaret Voltaire, a short-lived venue for the Dada artists, opened in 1916.


THE ZURICH LIBRARY


The Central Library of Zurich, where much of Travesties takes place, opened to the public in 1917. Zurich is both a city and a canton (Switzerland


has 26 cantons, equivalent to America’s states, but smaller), and the new library represented the merger of Zurich’s city and cantonal libraries. By the 19th century, both city and canton libraries needed more space for their growing collections. Zurich’s citizens approved a charter for the new library in 1914. The library was converted from an abbey, originally built in 1234 AD.


TRAVESTIES UPSTAGE GUIDE 13


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