WI: The Founding Fathers look to Switzerland

As of the writing of the US Constitution the only models that were really available for the framers were the Roman Republic (which they borrowed QUITE heavily from), Athenian Greece (which they thought was a bad idea), and the Swiss Confederation.

What would be the most likely PoD for the framers of the Constitution to favor a Swiss-based model over a Roman-inspired one and what would that look like?
 
I think if you have the Anti-federalist elements win out, this could be the result (it's certainly a necessary precursor). Taking the Swiss model as closely as possible, we have 13 states, in perpetual alliance, with a figurehead ruler and consensus based government, each essentially independent and having complete control over her own domestic policy and the state militias being the only army. No Congress or Senate at all- national policy is determined by the heads of the states meeting together.

Now, this is obviously unworkable due to the much greater size of America compared to Switzerland, so some elements will need to be added. Potentially this would be a single house of representatives from the states, but which has control over precisely three areas: Foreign Policy, the Continental Army and international tariffs. The continental army exists to supplement the state militias, but those are the primary military force (note that a lot of this would go in Switzerland after Napoleon so might not last that long in the US either). The President is probably an entirely ceremonial figure with the role of Commander in Chief of the CA, but he may also preside as a neutral figure in the Senate.

This might be just about workable, but the US may well end up fragmenting under this government.
 
I think if you have the Anti-federalist elements win out, this could be the result (it's certainly a necessary precursor). Taking the Swiss model as closely as possible, we have 13 states, in perpetual alliance, with a figurehead ruler and consensus based government, each essentially independent and having complete control over her own domestic policy and the state militias being the only army. No Congress or Senate at all- national policy is determined by the heads of the states meeting together.

Now, this is obviously unworkable due to the much greater size of America compared to Switzerland, so some elements will need to be added. Potentially this would be a single house of representatives from the states, but which has control over precisely three areas: Foreign Policy, the Continental Army and international tariffs. The continental army exists to supplement the state militias, but those are the primary military force (note that a lot of this would go in Switzerland after Napoleon so might not last that long in the US either). The President is probably an entirely ceremonial figure with the role of Commander in Chief of the CA, but he may also preside as a neutral figure in the Senate.

This might be just about workable, but the US may well end up fragmenting under this government.

I'd also add that expansion would become unfeasible?
 

Sabot Cat

Banned
I'd also add that expansion would become unfeasible?

Well, the Northwest Ordinance was passed by the Congress of Confederation, which isn't much more federal than a Swiss-style United States. I could see a Louisiana Ordinance, Mexican Ordinance, Oregon Ordinance, etc. happening too. In fact, having a looser national structure may actually benefit expansion, as it would be more feasible to annex Mexico or the Philippines if they're determining their own domestic policy and don't gain seats in a legislature determined by population.
 
Would there be a Bill of Rights or would that be something left up to the states in this kind of system? This might also lead to an entirely different dialog about slavery and abolitionism but if there's still measures like the Northwest Ordinance and future Ordinances like the Louisiana Ordinance and the federal Congress is responsible for that then there's going to remain that basic tension at the top level. One major difference, however, is there won't be any fear of federally-driven emancipation so how that issue develops could go either way.
 
Rome, Ancient Greece and the Swiss were'nt the only influences they'd have at the time, their was also San Marino (the oldest Republic and the country with the oldest Constitution) and the Italian Merchant Republics (who'd only just recently vanished by that point) as well as the Dutch Republic and the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

That all said I very much doubt the Founding Fathers would adopt the Swiss System, it's ungainly in terms of getting anything done, it's designed with a specific state in mind and politically it's antithetical to the Founding Fathers belief; the Founding Fathers and American Society as a whole were no fans of Democracy or Populism, to them government was the realm of the learned and elite, not the common man (the population as a whole viewed the idea of the common person being involved in politics with disdain well into the 19th century as well).
 
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