New Helvetic Society
A Swiss non-party civic movement founded in 1914 to strengthen national cohesion, independence and cultural pluralism.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The New Helvetic Society, known in German as the Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft and commonly abbreviated NHG, was a Swiss non-party civic and intellectual movement founded in Bern in 1914. It emerged from a 1912 manifesto by the writers Robert de Traz, Alexis François and Gonzague de Reynold, who argued for an organization capable of promoting Swiss dignity, security and cohesion across the country's linguistic, regional and political divisions. The name deliberately recalled the eighteenth-century Helvetic Society, an earlier association associated with reform and intellectual exchange in Switzerland. The organization began principally as a forum for writers, journalists, academics and other public figures. Its original aims included overcoming tensions between Switzerland's language communities, defending national independence and countering what its founders viewed as excessive materialism. It also supported multilingualism, the preservation of cultural heritage and the diversity of the Swiss countryside. Although the movement initially had a strong base in the French-speaking western cantons, it attracted German-speaking members as well, including entrepreneurs and politicians. Local groups were established in cities such as Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Zurich, while expatriate Swiss communities created related societies in Berlin, Paris and London. The society gained national visibility in 1914 through the poet Carl Spitteler's speech Unser Schweizer Standpunkt, which articulated a distinctively Swiss political and cultural outlook during the First World War. Membership grew rapidly, reaching approximately 1,460 by 1915 and a reported peak of 2,540 in 1920. The organization initially excluded women: a proposal to admit them was rejected in 1916, but that position was reversed in 1918, after which women could join. After the First World War, the NHG campaigned for Switzerland to join the League of Nations. During the 1930s its agenda shifted toward a more explicitly framed idea of national renewal, and it supported the Neue Front movement. This phase connected the society to debates about Swiss political identity and the country's response to the ideological pressures surrounding it, although the NHG remained a non-party association rather than a conventional political party. The society also took positions on major questions of national development and environmental heritage. In 1952 it campaigned against a proposed large hydroelectric installation at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen. The campaign succeeded in preventing construction of the project and became one of the organization's notable interventions in the protection of a prominent Swiss landscape. The original Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft ceased to exist as a separate organization in 2007, when it merged with Rencontres Suisses/Treffpunkt Schweiz. The successor adopted the name Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft-Treffpunkt Schweiz, or NHG-TS. Accordingly, the historical NHG is best understood not as a commercial consumer brand but as a civic, cultural and political association whose institutional legacy continued through its successor organization.
History
The origins of the New Helvetic Society lay in a 1912 manifesto titled Pro helvetica dignitate ac securitate, or For Swiss Dignity and Security. The document was prepared by the writers Robert de Traz, Alexis François and Gonzague de Reynold. They sought to establish a society that could address the divisions separating Switzerland's linguistic communities and regions while defending the country's independence and distinctive political culture. The proposed organization was consciously named after the Helvetic Society, an eighteenth-century association remembered for its role in Swiss reform and intellectual life. The Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft was formally founded in Bern in 1914. Branches and local groups soon appeared in Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Zurich, and related organizations were established among Swiss expatriates in Berlin, Paris and London. The movement was initially strongest in French-speaking western Switzerland, which its supporters viewed as more socially progressive than the German-speaking cantons, but it was not restricted to one language community. German-speaking entrepreneurs and politicians also joined, helping the society present itself as a national rather than merely regional project. The association was built around public intellectual activity. Its members included writers, journalists and academics, and its work addressed the relationship between Switzerland's language communities, national culture and international position. The society promoted multilingualism, preservation of heritage and respect for the diversity of the Swiss landscape. It also criticized materialism and sought a form of civic renewal grounded in national solidarity. In 1914, the movement acquired wider recognition through Carl Spitteler's speech Unser Schweizer Standpunkt. Delivered in the context of the First World War, the speech helped define the idea that Switzerland should maintain an independent and specifically Swiss political standpoint. The NHG expanded quickly. Membership reportedly reached around 1,460 in 1915 and approximately 2,540 in 1920. Its membership policy also changed during this period. A proposal to admit women was defeated in 1916, but the society reversed that decision two years later and admitted women from 1918 onward. This change reflected the organization's development from a relatively exclusive intellectual association into a broader civic movement. Following the First World War, in which Switzerland remained neutral, the NHG supported Swiss membership in the League of Nations. Its campaign was successful and represented one of the clearest examples of the society's willingness to engage with national foreign-policy questions. In the early 1930s its emphasis shifted toward national renewal. At that time it supported the Neue Front, placing the organization within the political debates surrounding authoritarian, nationalist and corporatist currents in interwar Switzerland. The historical record therefore includes both its integrative cultural ambitions and its changing response to the political pressures of the period. The organization continued to intervene in questions affecting the country's physical and cultural heritage. In 1952 it opposed plans for a major hydroelectric power station at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen. The campaign was effective, and the project was not built. This episode demonstrated the society's ability to mobilize civic opinion around the protection of a nationally significant landscape, in addition to its earlier work on identity and international policy. The original Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft remained active until 2007, when it merged with Rencontres Suisses, also known as Treffpunkt Schweiz. The combined organization adopted the name Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft-Treffpunkt Schweiz, abbreviated NHG-TS. The 2007 merger marked the end of the historical society as an independent entity, while preserving an institutional continuation of its mission of dialogue and Swiss civic engagement.
- 2007
Merger creates NHG-TS
[1]The historical society merges with Rencontres Suisses/Treffpunkt Schweiz and becomes part of the successor organization NHG-TS.
- 1952
Rhine Falls power project defeated
[1]The society campaigns successfully against a proposed large hydroelectric station at the Rhine Falls.
- 1920
Membership reaches reported peak
[1]Membership reportedly peaks at approximately 2,540.
- 1918
Women admitted
[1]The society reverses its 1916 decision and begins admitting women.
- 1915
Early membership reaches about 1,460
[1]The expanding association reports approximately 1,460 members.
- 1914
Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft founded
[1]The organization is established in Bern, with local and expatriate groups developing soon afterward.
- 1912
Manifesto proposes a new Swiss civic society
[1]Robert de Traz, Alexis François and Gonzague de Reynold publish a manifesto calling for an organization devoted to Swiss dignity, security and cohesion.
Products and positioning
A non-party Swiss civic association positioned as a forum for national cohesion, multilingualism, cultural heritage, independence and public debate across linguistic and regional boundaries.
Civic engagement · 1914
Civic discussion and public forums
The society's principal offering was an organized forum for writers, journalists, academics, entrepreneurs and politicians to debate Swiss identity, national cohesion, independence and public affairs across linguistic and regional boundaries.
Cultural advocacy · 1914
Cultural and multilingualism advocacy
The NHG promoted Switzerland's multilingual character, the preservation of cultural heritage and recognition of regional diversity. These activities formed part of its effort to strengthen a shared Swiss identity without erasing local and linguistic differences.
Political advocacy
Public-interest campaigns
The association organized or supported campaigns on issues it considered important to Switzerland's future, including League of Nations membership after the First World War and opposition to a hydroelectric development at the Rhine Falls in 1952.
Marketing campaigns
- 1952Protection of the Rhine Falls
Switzerland
The society opposed plans to build a large hydroelectric power station at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen, presenting the falls as a major element of Swiss natural and cultural heritage.
Outcome. The proposed project was blocked and the power station was not built.
- Swiss membership in the League of Nations
Switzerland
After the First World War, the NHG campaigned in favor of Switzerland joining the League of Nations, linking international participation with the country's security and national interests.
Outcome. The campaign was successful; the source describes it as an effective effort supporting Swiss entry.
Brand decisions
2007
Merger with Rencontres Suisses/Treffpunkt SchweizM&ABackground
The historical NHG was consolidated with another Swiss civic organization, Rencontres Suisses, also known as Treffpunkt Schweiz.
Action taken
The two organizations merged and adopted the name Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft-Treffpunkt Schweiz.
Aftermath
The original New Helvetic Society ceased to operate as a separate organization, while its institutional mission continued through NHG-TS.
1918
Reverse exclusion of womenStrategyBackground
The society rejected a proposal to admit women in 1916, but reconsidered its membership policy during its early expansion.
Action taken
From 1918, the organization admitted female members.
Aftermath
The change broadened the association's membership base, although no later membership figures specific to women are provided.
Sources1 sources
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