Course d'école au Musée Fort de Chillon : qu'est-ce qu'un citoyen-soldat ? (notion pour la classe)

School trip to the Fort de Chillon Museum: what is a citizen-soldier? (concept for the class)

In Switzerland, the army is the nation in arms: every man of military age is both a citizen and a soldier. Discover what the citizen-soldier model is, why it is at the heart of Swiss defense, and how it shapes society.

A citizen in uniform

Swiss soldiers embody the principle of A citizen in uniform every able-bodied man performs compulsory military service in a militia army while continuing to work in his civilian profession. This model, which has been part of Swiss tradition since the 19th century, is based on the idea that national defense is a collective responsibility shared by all able-bodied citizens, rather than being entrusted to a professional caste. Recruits, often fathers or workers, wear uniform for a few weeks each year, ready to mobilize in the event of a crisis.

A militia army

Switzerland opted for a militia army rather than a professional force: less expensive to maintain, it could quickly mobilize hundreds of thousands of locally trained men, rooted in their cantons. During World War II, this structure enabled the general mobilization of 450,000 soldiers from 1939 onwards, which was maintained until 1945 and then adapted to the Cold War with reforms such as Army 61 (625,000 men). Soldiers returned home after rehearsals, taking their equipment with them, symbolizing the total integration of the army into civilian society.

In connection with the Fort de Chillon Museum

The Fort de Chillon Museum showcases the adventures of Swiss soldiers from 1940 to 1995: uniforms, rations, barracks, and equipment reveal the daily life of these citizen-soldiers in an artillery fort, between guard duty, exercises, and rocky isolation. Interactive exhibitions show how a bank employee or farmer became a guardian of the strategic pass, illustrating the duality of civilian and military life at the heart of armed neutrality.

For teachers

This article serves as a basis for preparing for a school trip to the Fort de Chillon Museum and does not claim to be exhaustive. It can be supplemented in class by studying the National Redoubt, the militia army, and Switzerland's role in 20th-century Europe.