Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
The Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland
(DDS) are a research project which edits important documents on Swiss foreign relations
and contemporary history
. The project includes a book series in several volumes and the online database Dodis.
, the DDS are not a state-run project, but the product of academic research
. The research group chooses the documents to be published according to independently defined criteria and is only bound to scientific principles. Through their choice of published documents, the researchers aim to show the main features of the international relations
of Switzerland
while maintaining its diversity. The basic research
done by the DDS provides historians historian
s with primary source
s allowing them to work on specific aspects of Swiss foreign policy or to contextualise more complex developments.
, which had until then been the major financial contributor to the DDS. Furthermore, the project is supported by the Swiss Federal Archives (SFA)
, where the Research Centre is located and by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)
. The Research Centre Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland is managed by a director. The director is accountable to the DDS-Committee, which consist of representatives of the contributing organisations and of Professors from all History Departments in Switzerland.
From 1979 until 1997 the first series was published in fifteen volumes covering the period from 1848 until 1945. These volumes were later digitalised and can be accessed on the Swiss Federal Archives' search engine publications officielles numérisées, which uses full text search
. The second series covering the period from 1945 until 1989 is to be completed in 2020 and is planned to be published in fifteen volumes, as well. At the moment, the volumes 23 and 24 (1964–1969) are in preparation.
works in addition to the printed volumes and aims to illuminate in more detail the various aspects of Swiss international relations. The thousands of documents on dodis.ch are, contrary to those in the volumes, not annotated, but indexed and tagged according to scientific criteria. The documents on dodis.ch are scans and can be downloaded as pdfs.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(DDS) are a research project which edits important documents on Swiss foreign relations
Foreign relations of Switzerland
The foreign relations of Switzerland are the primary responsibility of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs . Some international relations of Switzerland are handled by other departments of the federal administration of Switzerland.-History:...
and contemporary history
Contemporary history
Contemporary history describes the period timeframe that is without any intervening time closely connected to the present and is a certain perspective of modern history. The term "contemporary history" has been in use at least by the early 19th century. In the widest context of this use,...
. The project includes a book series in several volumes and the online database Dodis.
Aim
In contrast to other editions on foreign policyForeign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, the DDS are not a state-run project, but the product of academic research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
. The research group chooses the documents to be published according to independently defined criteria and is only bound to scientific principles. Through their choice of published documents, the researchers aim to show the main features of the international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
while maintaining its diversity. The basic research
Basic Research
Basic Research is an herbal supplement and cosmetics manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah that distributes products through a large number of subsidiaries. In addition, their products are sold domestically and internationally through a number of high-end retailers. Dennis Gay is the...
done by the DDS provides historians historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s with primary source
Primary source
Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
s allowing them to work on specific aspects of Swiss foreign policy or to contextualise more complex developments.
Organisation
The Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland are an enterprise of the Swiss Academy for Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW) and work under the auspices of the Swiss Society for History (SSH). The funding and the administration of the project were taken over by the academy in January 2000 from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)Swiss National Science Foundation
The Swiss National Science Foundation is a science research support organization mandated by the Swiss Federal Government. The SNSF was established in 1952 as a foundation under private law. Its secretariat is based in Bern....
, which had until then been the major financial contributor to the DDS. Furthermore, the project is supported by the Swiss Federal Archives (SFA)
Federal Archives of Switzerland
The Federal Archives of Switzerland were created in 1798 following the creation of the Helvetic Republic. They are located in Berne.-External links:*...
, where the Research Centre is located and by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is a department of the federal administration of Switzerland. It is charged with maintaining the foreign relations of Switzerland and serves as Switzerland's ministry of foreign affairs...
. The Research Centre Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland is managed by a director. The director is accountable to the DDS-Committee, which consist of representatives of the contributing organisations and of Professors from all History Departments in Switzerland.
History
In 1972 a group of historian took the initiative to publish documents for the study of Swiss foreign policy and of the international relations of Switzerland. Fifteen volumes covering the period form 1848 until 1945 were subsequently published between 1979 and 1997. Each volume was published by a different team of researchers based at a Swiss university. The project was restructured in the mid 1990s: in the course of planning the second series of the DDS and an online-database, the various and changing research teams were replaced by a permanent research centre with assigned staff. The work on the second series of the DDS, covering the period form 1945 until 1989, started in 1997 and at the same time, the database dodis.ch went online.The DDS-Volumes
The book series in several volumes aims to illustrate the main features and the guidelines of the international relations of Switzerland. The documents printed in the volumes, therefore, primarily either show the general orientation of Swiss foreign relations or indicate what at a certain time strongly influenced this orientation.From 1979 until 1997 the first series was published in fifteen volumes covering the period from 1848 until 1945. These volumes were later digitalised and can be accessed on the Swiss Federal Archives' search engine publications officielles numérisées, which uses full text search
Full text search
In text retrieval, full text search refers to techniques for searching a single computer-stored document or a collection in a full text database...
. The second series covering the period from 1945 until 1989 is to be completed in 2020 and is planned to be published in fifteen volumes, as well. At the moment, the volumes 23 and 24 (1964–1969) are in preparation.
Online-Database dodis.ch
Dodis.ch is the integrative and freely accessible internet database of the Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (DDS). In 2010, it contained information on 12.000 documents, 30.000 individuals, 12.000 organisations, 3.000 geographical names and 1.500 bibliographical references, which are all related to Swiss foreign relations. The relational databaseRelational database
A relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
works in addition to the printed volumes and aims to illuminate in more detail the various aspects of Swiss international relations. The thousands of documents on dodis.ch are, contrary to those in the volumes, not annotated, but indexed and tagged according to scientific criteria. The documents on dodis.ch are scans and can be downloaded as pdfs.