Most countries in Europe do not have a large land area or a large population, but they each have their own characteristics and charm. Switzerland is one of the best. It has Alpine snow-capped meadows, pasture villages, blue lakes, and poetic towns. The Davos Forum is world-famous. It also has unforgettable clocks, military knives, and confidentiality. The extremely strong banking industry is a global leader.
The Swiss are very wealthy, with per capita GDP leading the world. Switzerland is also a famous neutral country, but is this all about Switzerland? Do you really know Switzerland? If that's all you know, that's a bit superficial.
If you delve deeper into the history of Switzerland, you will find that this is a country that makes people feel ashamed. According to its resource endowment, it has done almost everything it can do to the extreme, so it can lead everywhere. , Only in this way can the people be prosperous and the country strong.
"We have no resources, only a pair of hands." Switzerland has always kept this in mind. Although it is a country with relatively poor resources, the Swiss have lived a happy life through their own hard work and hard work.
The Swiss are extremely intelligent and foresighted. Their scientific and technological innovation capabilities are also extremely strong, and they lead the world in independent technology research and development. The Swiss have known for a long time that if they want to gain wealth, they must take the road of technological power.
Following this goal and principle, through the joint efforts of countless generations, Switzerland ranks among the best in the world in terms of scientific and technological research, development, and patent applications, and has also successfully dominated the world with science and technology.
On a per capita basis, Switzerland invests tens of billions of Swiss francs in scientific research every year, the highest investment in the world. Therefore, its scientific research foundation is extremely strong, and it is favored by many famous companies in the world. There are many large companies setting up research centers in Switzerland, and it is not uncommon to see Nobel Prize winners here.
Switzerland applies the most patents per capita every year in the world, but the absolute number ranks behind the United States and Germany. Independent technology research and development innovation has become a magic weapon for Switzerland's economic and social development.
The emphasis on intellectual investment and independent technology research and development has placed Switzerland in a leading position in many research fields in the world. Among the 10 cutting-edge technology fields in the world, Switzerland has the highest growth rate in 7 fields. If calculated on a per capita basis Calculated, Switzerland ranks among the top in the world in its proportion of Nobel laureates.
The main reasons why Switzerland’s science and technology are so developed and developed so strongly are:
First of all, “expertise” dominates the global market. "Expertise", also known as "technical know-how", is a technology unique to many enterprises. Just like trademarks and distinctive signboards, there is no semicolon.
"Specialized technology" is regarded as top-secret technology by many companies. In order to achieve the purpose of confidentiality, it rarely applies for patents and will not be disclosed to outsiders. Many companies in Switzerland follow or even lead the world's trends in product development and design. Although they are fashionable, they have traces to follow, so they cannot be called unique. However, their innovations in production and processing technology have always attracted attention.
After time and practice, various companies in Switzerland have continuously improved and developed their own unique "expertise". This unique technology is often the magic weapon for companies to win large orders. .
Many manufacturing companies in Switzerland have "expertise", regardless of size, and even many small and medium-sized enterprises have much more expertise than large enterprises. There is a small company in Switzerland that specializes in processing watch cases with a 90-year history. It has more than 320 specialized technologies, with an average of 4 per capita.
Second, rely on technology to support the export-oriented economy. Switzerland, together with Singapore, Hong Kong and Belgium, is one of the four major international markets with the highest per capita export volume in the world. Today, half of the Swiss economy comes from the foreign trade economy.
Switzerland’s export-oriented economic competitiveness has many factors, such as Switzerland’s location in the heart of Europe; Swiss people speaking German, French, Italian, English and other languages; Swiss product quality is the best in the world; Swiss labor efficiency is high; Switzerland has world-class infrastructure; Switzerland's financial services industry is an international AAA level.
But the most important thing is that Switzerland leads the world in technological innovation. Swiss watches are world-famous, accounting for 65% of the world's share. The foreign exchange earned from exports is many times higher than that of Japan and Hong Kong. Its "gold content" can be said to be the first in the world.
Swiss machine tools are even more famous, with exports ranking among the top five in the world. Over the past 30 years, per capita foreign exchange earnings from machine tool exports have ranked first in the world, and even though the prices of machine tools in quite a few fields are quite high, because The excellent quality and technological leadership have always been in short supply in the international market.
Swiss Bank is synonymous with financial security in the world. The financial industry has become the most important service industry in Switzerland and has been famous all over the world for many years. The clients of Swiss Bank include almost all international consortiums and prestigious celebrities.
Thirdly, vocational and technical education has made great achievements. The high development of science and technology in Switzerland is inseparable from its high emphasis on education over the years. Switzerland is not only famous for high-end education, but its complete and developed vocational education is the biggest highlight.
The Swiss begin to diversify after graduating from junior high school. About 70% of junior high school graduates enter vocational schools, which the Swiss call apprentice schools. There are more than 300 occupations in Switzerland, and each occupation has a rigorous, complete, and high-standard vocational training system. After graduation, you can obtain a certificate, and you can only work with the certificate.
The status of apprentices in Switzerland is no different than that of college students. In Geneva, 75% of bosses came from apprentice schools. It can be seen that Switzerland’s vocational science and technology education plays an extremely important role in economic and social development.
Switzerland’s educational achievements are quite remarkable. For a small country with a population of less than 8 million, 16 people have won the Nobel Prize. Its finance, watches, machine tools, electronic instruments, hotels, tourism and other industries are all outstanding. Become world class.
The name and status of Switzerland as a neutral country are well known to the world, but many people do not know that before that, Switzerland had a long history of war.
A few centuries ago, Switzerland was a country so poor that it relied mainly on exporting its labor force for a living. At that time, in order to develop the economy or, to put it bluntly, to earn more remuneration, the Swiss found alternatives. It is a good profession for people to fight.
So they began to change the direction of labor export to the battlefield. Swiss mercenaries are extremely famous in Europe. They are loyal to their employers, reliable in work, and extremely powerful. You can win for your employer and make money for yourself.
However, this situation began to change after a war in 1515, when the French and Venetians appeared on the battlefield with artillery and armored cavalry, while the Swiss mercenaries only carried lances and spears. , the unfortunate thing finally happened, the once invincible Swiss mercenaries were defeated in the face of technology.
After the defeat in this battle, the Swiss gradually stopped participating in major European political events, and in order to get rid of the constraints of the European powers, at the European Peace Conference held in Vienna in 1815, in order to defend themselves, Switzerland proposed a perfect winning strategy to the European powers: make Switzerland a neutral country.
To achieve this goal, the recognition of all countries is key. Because neutrality only makes sense if it is recognized by other major powers. In the end, Switzerland got its wish, and Switzerland became a neutral country since the early 19th century. As a neutral country, Switzerland may not participate in wars, allow belligerents to use its territory, or provide mercenaries to belligerents.
Since then, Switzerland has been on the road of peace until now. In any city in Switzerland today, there are no traces of those who suffered aggression, and everything is developing in an orderly manner. Here, the past history is present there, and even the wooden houses that are hundreds of years old are intact.
However, with the outbreak of the World War, Switzerland's reputation as a neutral country began to be severely tested. During World War II, countries such as Luxembourg and Belgium that claimed to be neutral were all occupied by the German army. Only Switzerland was able to maintain its neutrality and avoid war.
This is mainly due to Switzerland's unique neutrality policy for hundreds of years, that is, armed neutrality. It implements a national defense policy in which all people are soldiers. Adult men must receive corresponding military training every year according to their age groups.
The Swiss, whose ancestors had experience as mercenaries, know very well that neutrality is just an abstract concept. To turn it into a reality, strong military force is needed to back it up, so they use "armed to To defend the country's policy of neutrality, Switzerland adheres to the policy of permanent neutrality and plays an important role both domestically and in the European international community.
First, the policy of permanent neutrality brings domestic political stability.
Switzerland is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. Such cultural and religious differences are the most likely to cause division and opposition. However, due to Switzerland’s adherence to the principle of neutrality, As a result, the conflicts between various ethnic groups and religions are not affected by external factors.
Because of long-term peace and sustained social and economic development, the entire country can be united and form a relatively close communist community.
Switzerland’s long-standing neutral foreign policy creates good conditions for national development and is the best means to safeguard national freedom and independence.
Second, the neutral policy provides a strong impetus for Swiss economic development. Because it had not been ravaged by war for a long time, the Swiss economy rose rapidly. During the French Revolution, rural Switzerland had become the richest rural area in Europe at that time. At that time, there was almost no distinction between urban and rural areas in Switzerland.
Switzerland is famous for its neutrality. For hundreds of years, it has become the safe deposit box and money bag of the world. It is currently the world's largest depository of financial capital. The Swiss banking industry is the industry most affected by the neutrality policy. Its annual direct output value accounts for 34% of the gross national product, and taxes account for 11% of the total federal tax revenue. It has made a huge contribution to strengthening the Swiss national economic strength.
Third, the permanently neutral Switzerland has made significant contributions to European stability and world peace. Switzerland's neutral status allows it to play an active role in many major international issues. Switzerland is known as the "messenger of peace" in international relations.
Switzerland adheres to a humanitarian aid policy and has accepted a large number of "political prisoners" and refugees from all over the world over the years. The International Committee of the Red Cross, founded by the Swiss and headquartered in Geneva, adheres to humanitarian principles and can be seen in war-torn, poverty-stricken and disease-ridden areas around the world.
Fourth, Switzerland has become the headquarters of international institutions. The Swiss city of Basel is not only the "pharmaceutical capital" of the world, but also has the headquarters of an international settlement bank.
In addition to being one of the world's financial centers, the city of Zurich is also the headquarters of FIFA, the village of Davos is the home of the World Economic Forum, Bern is the world capital of watches and clocks, and Lausanne is the headquarters of the International Olympic Games. Geneva is even more famous around the world. It is not only the location of the old League of Nations and the current European headquarters of the United Nations, but also the international conference city with the largest number of conferences in the world.
Cities in Switzerland are very small, with almost no tall buildings visible, and even the difference between urban and rural areas is extremely small. Famous Swiss cities, such as Bern, Geneva, Lucerne and Lausanne, are all compact.
The purity of Switzerland’s water can be said to be unique, whether it is Lake Geneva in the French-speaking area, the Four Forest Lakes in the German-speaking area, Brienz in Interlaken, or Bern’s The Aare River flows under the snow-capped mountains and meadows, or is surrounded by pastures and vineyards. The deep blue water blends with the blue sky, giving the whole of Switzerland a spiritual vitality.
It is particularly worth mentioning that there is only one type of water flowing through all water pipes in Switzerland--drinking water, and the wastewater generated must be centrally treated to meet drinking water standards before being re-discharged into rivers and lakes. . With advanced technology, powerful force, and a developed economy, Switzerland has almost no regrets.
As a result, the Swiss have made full use of the natural resource endowment of the beautiful environment and turned their attention to the health service industry. They continue to carry forward the meticulous character of the Swiss and build this industry into a new growth point for economic development. In recent years, its scale has surpassed the traditional watch manufacturing industry, and its contribution to GDP has reached about 30%.
Switzerland’s health and elderly care service industry has formed a diversified investment pattern. About a quarter of the elderly in Switzerland now choose institutional care.
Most nursing homes are designed and constructed in a garden or hotel style, with first-class living environment and rehabilitation conditions.
Switzerland has a strict admission system for the health and elderly care profession. Nursing nurses are divided into five levels and must hold a certificate to work. Switzerland has also established a very complete health insurance system, established a sound and multi-level social pension insurance system, and realized the integration of social pension and various social insurances.
Although Switzerland is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, it has gradually developed into the world's "Garden of Eden" through the implementation of a series of pragmatic political and economic policies.
As a neutral country, Switzerland has not only achieved unlimited political and economic benefits, but also made great contributions to world peace. In 1945, French General Charles de Gaulle expressed his gratitude to Switzerland for its efforts in protecting prisoners of war and civilian prisoners during World War II. He said, "Switzerland has made a huge contribution. We will never forget it!"
This is a small European country with an area of ??just over 40,000 square kilometers and a population of less than 9 million, but the Swiss use Their smart minds and hard-working hands have created achievements that many world powers cannot achieve. Isn't it embarrassing, but they have also become an example for many countries to learn from.