<P> The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on 12 September 1848 , with the creation of a federal constitution in response to a 27 - day civil war in Switzerland , the Sonderbundskrieg . The constitution , which was heavily influenced by the United States Constitution and the ideas of the French Revolution , was modified several times during the following decades and wholly replaced in 1999 . The constitution represents the first time that the Swiss were governed by a strong central government instead of being simply a collection of independent cantons bound by treaties . </P>
<P> The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on 12 September 1848 , with the creation of a federal constitution in response to a 27 - day civil war in Switzerland , the Sonderbundskrieg . The constitution , which was heavily influenced by the United States Constitution and the ideas of the French Revolution , was modified several times during the following decades and wholly replaced in 1999 . The constitution represents the first time that the Swiss were governed by a strong central government instead of being simply a collection of independent cantons bound by treaties . </P>
what are the federal states in switzerland called
what are the federal states in switzerland called
cantons
cantons