Wartime trade and politics
Second only to the fear of invasion, was the fear that Switzerland would be starved because the war had stopped food supplies coming across her borders. The Swiss economy was based on importing raw materials and exporting manufactured goods. The country’s population was too large to be supported solely by its own natural resources, and 40% of Switzerland’s food had to be imported. Switzerland was the only European country, apart from Serbia, with no direct access to the sea. Her main communications route, the Rhine, was controlled by Germany.
In the Spring of 1914, in anticipation of war, the Swiss made agreements with France and Germany. France agreed that the supply of food through the Mediterranean ports of Cette (now Sète) and Marseilles (on the south coast of France) would continue in the event of a war; Germany agreed that coal and corn supplies would not be interrupted. Under international law, there were no restrictions on which countries a neutral could trade with.
In the Spring of 1914, in anticipation of war, the Swiss made agreements with France and Germany. France agreed that the supply of food through the Mediterranean ports of Cette (now Sète) and Marseilles (on the south coast of France) would continue in the event of a war; Germany agreed that coal and corn supplies would not be interrupted. Under international law, there were no restrictions on which countries a neutral could trade with.

Aerial view of the port of Cette, through which Swiss food supplies were imported.
In practice it was not that simple. From the start of the conflict, Switzerland had to negotiate agreements with the belligerents. Once Italy joined the war in May 1915, Switzerland was completely surrounded by warring states. After Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, the French port of Cette was kept open by the German submarines so that imports to Switzerland could arrive there.
The Swiss needed imports and exports to survive, and both the Allies and Central Powers needed manufactured goods that Switzerland exported, so a kind of symbiotic relationship existed. Neither side controlled all the resources that the Swiss required. 80% of Swiss food imports came from or through Allied countries, who were therefore able to exert considerable leverage. Germany also tried to use economic pressure against Switzerland and other neutrals, by threatening to withhold vital materials if the resources she wanted were not exported by the Swiss.
The Entente powers were determined to enforce their economic blockade of Germany, and would not supply goods to Switzerland which could be passed on to the Central Powers. Rationing was therefore introduced in Switzerland for many types of foodstuffs and industrial materials. This was intended to ensure that that all goods imported from or through the Entente were consumed within Switzerland, and were not subsequently exported by the Swiss to the Central Powers.
Click here to read a blog post about the Swiss manufacture of artillery shell fuses and similar components for the warring nations during the First World War: how and why it was done.
The Entente powers were determined to enforce their economic blockade of Germany, and would not supply goods to Switzerland which could be passed on to the Central Powers. Rationing was therefore introduced in Switzerland for many types of foodstuffs and industrial materials. This was intended to ensure that that all goods imported from or through the Entente were consumed within Switzerland, and were not subsequently exported by the Swiss to the Central Powers.
Click here to read a blog post about the Swiss manufacture of artillery shell fuses and similar components for the warring nations during the First World War: how and why it was done.
