Federal Palace, Bern, Switzerland, November 29th, 1835 · The Shattered Congress
Gentlemen,
It is with pain that I look towards the Great Powers of Europe that be.
Once a great continent, with its leaders proud of the skill and knowledge of diplomacy they possessed, content with their peaceful coexistence on the continent, we lived as Great Nations sharing one globe, passing on knowledge, technology, philosophy, industry, skilled labour and the free flow of currency.
With the advent of the first cannons, the first rifles, came men, both great and not so much, who desired for themselves more than was promised by God to him. He sought to confiscate the lands of other kingdoms, carve out a new kingdom for himself and claim all to be his. Great Men, our predecessors, saw this and knew this to be a threat to the very peaceful coexistence I speak of, and these Great Men, united, used their weapons held for the defence of their lands for the Greater Good, to ensure the peace and prosperity that Europe offered us for so long.
It has been 2 decades, we celebrate 20 years of peaceful coexistence on the continent. Gone is the great threat that one threatened to carve up the world for himself. Gone are the days where the common man has to fear for their lives, being drafted, or their lands raided, or their sons and daughters being casualties of a sick war.
It has also, however, been over 2 decades since the papers of the Congress of Vienna and the Treaty of Munich has been signed. I am here today to speak on this matter to consider the successes and failures of these treaties, and to look at Switzerland's role in the future as one not of being sidelined, but as of a safe haven, where the European powers can gather and once again make the active decision to be Great Men.
The Congress of Vienna was a failure; treating the continent as a game of chess, the European Powers let greed become their ally, carving up nations as they saw fit to increase their wealth, their lands and the number of Titles they held.
And when one too many leaders let greed be their guide, diplomacy failed, and they quickly drew their swords and guns to flex their might.
The Treaty of Munich brought this period of uncertainty to an end. The European Powers once again gathered, trying to determine how peace was going to rule the continent.
However, this treaty can only stop a war; it cannot get rid of the causes of the next war.
Every treaty sees an agreement between two parties with opposing interests. In the worst of these treaties, only one party is satisfied; in the best of these treaties, neither are.
The Treaty of Munich have left many parties unsatisfied, looking for more, looking for more territory, looking for greater control.
We must formulate a way to put an end to the tension on the continent, and to once again bring peace, culture and wealth to the forefront of importance in Europe.
When all else fails, when guns no longer deter the enemy, when alliances are only formed to fight wars with, when armies are sprung up in an endless race to the top, what will bring an end to the fighting?
It is with us, my people of Switzerland. We are both small, yet desire not to be Great. We have but a small piece of the Alps, yet desire no bigger part of it. We have both peace, and a lack of desire for war.
We must not isolate ourselves from the Great Powers of Europe any longer. We must become a place where the European Kings and Emperors can lay down their weapons and once again, as Great Men do, let diplomacy rule the continent. We must become a beacon of hope for calmer minds to prevail in these uncertain times.
Switzerland must never show preference for one Great Power. We must not pick sides, and we must not allow ourselves to succumb to intimidation, corruption or sways. We must remain what we always have.
Swiss.
We must welcome the foreign powers to negotiate in our grand, ornate halls, we must welcome them with open arms if they choose the way of peace. We must encourage them to seek a better solution than the needless deaths of a thousand good men. We must give them the opportunity to seek diplomacy over war.
We must refuse to any longer accept the ancient, barbaric tradition of blood being shed on the battlefield for meaningless reasons.
We must be the safe haven of Europe, where peace, prosperity and negotiation prevail.
