Swiss Passport

Question 223 of 350 · Federal state and industrialisation

In the 19th century, Switzerland changed ...

Im 19. Jahrhundert wandelte sich die Schweiz ...

Correct answer: D

  1. Afrom a federal state into a centralised state.vom Bundesstaat zum Zentralstaat.
  2. Binto a European great power.zu einer europäischen Grossmacht.
  3. Cinto a colonial power.zu einer Kolonialmacht.
  4. Dfrom an agrarian state into an industrial state.vom Agrarstaat zum Industriestaat.

Why

Around 1800, most people lived from agriculture. By 1900, many worked in factories: Switzerland became an industrial state.

Common mistakes

A: from a federal state into a centralised state.
It was the other way round: in 1848 Switzerland became a federal state, not a centralised state.
C: into a colonial power.
Switzerland never had colonies of its own.

Topic

From agrarian state to industrial state

Around 1800, most people in Switzerland lived from agriculture. In the 19th century, Switzerland changed from an agrarian state into an industrial state. Industrialisation means: goods are made with machines in factories instead of by hand. The basis was an invention from England: the steam engine. In the 18th century, James Watt improved it so that it could drive machines in factories. This started industrialisation in Europe in the 19th century.

History of Switzerland · Federal state and industrialisation

Sources

Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.