Volker Reinhardt succinctly and knowledgeably depicts the history of the Swiss Confederation from the federal pact of the "original cantons" to the present day. Carefully selected illustrations and maps make this compact overview an essential standard work. Direct democracy and foreign political neutrality, the cohesion of different language nations, economic modernity, prosperity, openness to the world, and cleanliness are just some of the virtues for which Switzerland is admired worldwide. Volker Reinhardt demonstrates that the "Swiss phenomenon" can best be understood through a historical perspective. He repeatedly questions the self-understanding of the Swiss as a resilient nation, for which the myth surrounding the Rütli Oath and William Tell is constitutive, and which has been influenced in recent years by the disclosure of economic entanglements with the Third Reich.