Switzerland in WW2

[has]

Can you please explain why Switzerland was neutral during World War 2 & why Hitler respected such?

[Ethel]

Switzerland is totally landlocked - it needed to maintain good relations with Germany to continue to trade. It got most of its coal from Germany, for example.

It suited Germany to have Switzerland as an independent country - it made trade easier between the Nazis and other countries.

Swiss factories made arms, weapons component, aluminium and equipment for the Nazis and bought gold from Germany, giving the Nazis much needed hard currency.

There is a bit of information here:
http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/swiss-busines s-guide/wwii.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland_durin g_World_War_II

Switzerland has some very strange polices overall, I find. Women didn't have the full vote until 1990, for example.

[jno]

the Swiss are great on devolution, Ethel, everything is decided at as local a level as possible. Women had already voted in most of Switzerland before the good burghers of Apfenzell (I think it was) decided to join them.

They also have to have a gun, for national self-defence purposes - American gun nuts frequently cite Switzerland as an example of a European country of gun-owners, to show it's not just them.

[shomer42]

Hitler loved their chocolate....he was a chocoholic in fact, not many people know that about him. he was worried if he invaded it might put them off the chocolate making, and no one wanted that!

Plus, Switzerland is really quite hilly, who wants to goose step all day up and down hills?

[Brooksy]

He did actually consider invading Switzerland, but the fact that all the narrow mountain passes were easily defended (& still are) made for a small strategic advantage at possible great expense, plus other distractions, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Yugoslavia etc.

[lapislaz]

He needed some 'tame' bankers who would hide all of his and his 'friends' ill-gotten gains. In fact many Swiss banks are still holding a lot of Nazi gold!