A Concise History of Switzerland by Clive Church and Randolph Head

An excellent introduction to the complex history of this tiny and frequently misunderstood country. It has long been Switzerland's devotion to neutrality that has been the least appreciated aspect of foreign policy, and yet historically, that has been the most important, given the country's geographical location and topography. It may no longer be as important now as it was in the past, but it needs to be understood. Few other countries with inherent religious and language divisions could have survived as long as the Swiss Confederation, but the future of this tiny country is difficult to predict. Much will depend on how the European Union develops and is thus out of Swiss hands.