Ulrich Ochsenbein

Ulrich Ochsenbein (* probably November 11, 1811, baptized November 24, 1811 in Schwarzenegg [ community Unterlangenegg ]; † November 3, 1890 in Port ), was a Swiss politician and General. He was the leader of the second Freischarenzugs, then government of the canton of Bern. In 1848 he was elected to the Federal Council. He fell out with his comrades of the liberal- radical faction (now the FDP) and was voted out of office in 1854 as the first Federal Council. After that, he was twice general in the French service, and tried in vain on the part of conservatives to re-enter politics.

Biography

Youth and Education

As the second of ten children of a country and innkeeper Ulrich Ochsenbein was born in Schwarzenegg in the canton of Bern in more impoverished circumstances. His birthplace is the 1705 in the center Schwarzeneggs built as a post and beam with kinked quarter hipped former inn bears, in addition to the church and pastor one of the most important buildings Schwarzeneggs represents ( address: Egg 3).

The Ochsenbein family moved in 1818 to Vaud after Marnand. Ulrich went up to the age of 14 French-language schools in Granges- près- Marnand and Moudon. 1825 the family moved to the Bernese Seeland to Nidau ​​. There Ochsenbein brought the German -language education soon after, attended high school in Biel and then studied law for four years at the academy in Bern.

After completing his studies and successfully passing the bar in 1834, he opened together with his brother- in Nidau ​​a law firm. Ochsenbein married Emilie Sury, the sister of a fellow student. He pursued addition to his professional and a military career. In 1843 he attended the General Staff School, and in 1845 he was appointed captain on the General Staff.

Freischarenzug and Sonderbundskrieg

The political turmoil between conservatives and liberals, who then ruled the Confederation, attracted the young ox leg under her spell. He rose rapidly to become one of the leaders of the Bernese radicals. Ochsenbein was a militant politician and involved at the forefront of the unsuccessful Freischar trains of 1844 and 1845, which were aimed to overthrow the conservative " Jesuit government " of the Canton of Lucerne and replace it with a liberal. The second Freischarenzug led Ochsenbein personally, although the Diet had forbidden this. The company failed miserably (see Battle of Malters ), and Ochsenbein was excluded from the General Staff. Nevertheless, he achieved considerable popularity and a kind of folk hero status in his homeland.

Since 1845 Ochsenbein sat in the Grand Council, the Bernese cantonal parliament. After the dismissal of the previous government, which had tolerated the second Freischarenzug implied, and the entry into force of a new cantonal constitution he was elected in 1846 even in the State Council. Ochsenbein represented his State in the meetings of the Diet and presided this from December 1847 to May 1848. He aspired to the supreme commander of the shaft Diet Army in the federal battle. But his role in the volunteer corps trains made ​​this impossible and so the Geneva Guillaume -Henri Dufour was chosen.

Ochsenbein instead commanded as colonel a Reserve Division. This began with the task of carrying out a mock attack against Freiburg. After the end of November 1847 his division broke in Schüpfheim the resistance of Lucerne troops. Following the suppression of the uprising Sonderbundskrieg Ochsenbein was instrumental in the drafting and adoption of the Federal Constitution. In the canton of Bern, he defended the proposed Constitution successfully against the negative vote of his former comrades- Jakob Stämpfli, who gave the new constitution centralized for too little.

Inventor of modern Switzerland

The chaired by Ochsenbein Constitution Revision Commission of 1848 made ​​it within 51 days to transform the shattered from Sonderbundskrieg in Switzerland for a long time the only viable democracy in continental Europe. Ochsenbein, who had previously participated in the new Bernese Constitution, is considered one of the founding fathers of the Swiss federal state.

He sat in particular for the following changes on: The covenant shall be exclusively responsible for political treaties with foreign countries and for the official use of foreign states to make foreign policy a closed appearance of Switzerland possible. Establishing a federal university, whose mission he looked at the scientific and on state policy level. The later Articles 4 to 6 of the Federal Constitution: cantonal constitutions are to be binding obligation on legal equality, individual rights, republican form of government with a representative or direct democracy, mandatory constitutional referendum and constitutional initiative with the people. The two- chamber system with the National Council and Council of States along the lines of North America should pave the way to the historic compromise between the supporters of a loose federal possible largely by respecting the sovereignty of Canton and the advocates of a unitary centralized state. The Diet accepted in June 1848, the new constitution works, and on September 12, Switzerland became the State.

Erected 1848 State proved, according to historian John Dierauer because he did not, as once the Helvetic unit Republic, imposed after an unhistorical doctrine by a third party, but designed in Sage connection to local historical tradition and as a natural target an ever- intumescent inner " movement launched " was. This was to a great extent the merit of Ochsenbein, who pursued his goal for years Gesamteidgenossenschaft with a historic compromise between a moderately reformed state with possible consideration of cantonal sovereignty and the peculiarity of the different classes.

Bundesrat

After his election to the National Council Ochsenbein was elected on November 6, 1848 for the first National President. Ten days later, the choice was followed in the Bundesrat. Ochsenbein received on the first ballot 92 of the 132 votes cast and thus achieved the best result of all seven newly elected federal councils. He took over the Military Department and had been working out a legal basis for the creation of the Swiss Army in his first days in office.

The plan submitted in the spring of 1849 Federal Law on Military Organization, which regulated conscription, training and organization of the army was relatively uncontested and entered into force in 1850. After his election Ochsenbein tried between the Bernese Reformed - Conservatives and the Radicals to Jakob Stämpfli, with whom he had a falling out in the meantime to maneuver. He was therefore among the radicals, the most influential flow in parliament soon as unreliable.

In the national elections in 1851 Ochsenbein ran as candidate of the Bernese Protestant conservatives and was able to maintain his position. Far worse was the result at the Federal Cabinet elections in the same year. Ochsenbein was confirmed only in the choice of the seventh and final seat as Bundesrat, with 80 votes in the second ballot. The United Federal Assembly elected him then as Vice President of the Bundesrat.

Since 1854 radicals and conservatives were strong almost the same in the Bernese cantonal parliament elections in the spring, they formed a coalition government. Because of his personal aversion to risk Stämpfli Ochsenbein the coalition and was therefore attacked by the Conservatives left. He stepped on to the general election in two constituencies, and although he lost in both, he did not resign as Bundesrat. The Federal Council elections on December 6, 1854 Ochsenbein was not even present and prefer to go hunting. He was the first non re-elected Federal Council; which was succeeded by his rival Stämpfli.

Another Journey

After being voted out Ochsenbein accepted the offer of the Emperor Napoleon III. and concurred with the French army. Service in foreign armies was 1874 not forbidden until the first complete revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution, but he damaged your reputation, because he had always fought Sold services for foreign powers during his time in the Diet and the Federal Council. In January 1855 Ochsenbein was appointed by imperial decree to brigadier general and given command of the French Foreign Legion. The French government hoped to undertake with Ochsenbein as commander numerous Swiss for the Crimean War. But he was never used and was re-opened in April 1856.

Ochsenbein returned to Nidau ​​and received his Domaine de Bellevue. Besides being a landowner, he wrote several works on agriculture. He also dealt with the Jura water correction in the Bernese Seeland. From January to March 1871, during the Franco-German War, he again made service for the French army, this time as a major general in Bourg -en- Bresse and Lons -le- Saunier. On 5 May 1871 he was promoted to Knight of the Legion of Honour.

From 1878, Ochsenbein occurred in Switzerland politically reappear. He joined the conservative People's Party under the Bernese Ulrich Dürrenmatt and pursued a clearly anti- liberal course. Despite several nominations but did not managed to be elected to office.

Film documentaries

• The Swiss Guillaume -Henri Dufour # - The general who saved the Switzerland, four -part documentary on Swiss television, 2013.