Switzerland is a confederacy of self-governing cantons…

Switzerland is a confederacy of self-governing cantons held together by a loose military alliance, with little in terms of actual union and no central government.

Like most of Europe, Switzerland is deemed feudal in nature, as the wealthiest members of society benefit from privileges that others are denied.

There is much resentment over this, which has led to many conspiracies and uprisings, such as that led by Major Abraham Davel, who had protested at what he saw as the oppressive treatment that Berne meted out to his native Vaud, which was then under Berne's control.

Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1789, Peter Ochs had joined the partisans of revolutionary reform.

Born in France of a family that claims roots in the Basel aristocracy, Ochs had settled in Basel in 1769, obtained a doctorate of laws in 1776, become a magistrate, and taken up politics, making many useful contacts through his marriage.

With Frédéric-César de La Harpe, he had called for the French to send troops into Switzerland, overthrow the "decayed Confederation" and establish a unified nation.

In March, 1798 the French did just that.

Troops move into Switzerland and, with little resistance, soon take over the whole country.