„Abgedrehte Kupferwaren‟: Kriegsmaterialexporte der schweizerischen Uhren-, Metall- und Maschinenindustrie im Ersten Weltkrieg

Abstract

Abstract During the First World War, warfare became more totalitarian and was backed by an economic conflict waged with increasingly harsh methods. In the combatant nations munitions rapidly became an essential “raw material”, with the increasing demand being met either by the expanding domestic arms industry or by munitions imports from neutral countries. The Swiss watch, metal and engineering industries enjoyed a strong international reputation and had a strong focus on exports: by the end of 1914 they began manufacturing precision detonators for artillery projectiles, and rising quantities of these products were sold to both sides. This paper examines what volume Swiss munitions exports assumed during the First World War, how this was compatible with Swiss neutrality and looks at the arguments used to criticise or justify this trade over the course of the war.