ABSTRACT
Switzerland’s largest German-speaking anti-communist organization, the Schweizerische Aufklärungsdienst (SAD), aimed to educate the Swiss population on defence matters. To exchange experiences on this topic, the SAD maintained relations with international networks in Europe, such as the network People and Defence. During the annual meetings of this informal network, the participating organizations from different Western European countries exchanged ideas on how to spark interest in defence matters among the population. This became especially important during the times of détente, when anti-communist organizations struggled with decreased financing from the government and a more critical attitude toward education on defence matters. The exchange between the SAD and the international network allowed the Swiss organization to broaden its contacts and influenced and inspired its work in the field of political education. By drawing on unpublished documents from the Swiss Archive for Contemporary History and on time-witness interviews, this chapter shows how the exchange of ideas with the international network influenced the work of the SAD, including in tangible results like a workbook series on how to improve political education in Switzerland.
