revision of 1874 no one of these three
parties possessed in the Federal Assembly a clear majority, with the
consequence that the Centre was able to maintain a balance between the
other two. Gradually, however, the Radicals regained their former
ascendancy, and in subsequent years their preponderance, in especially
the lower chamber, has tended steadily to be increased.

*480. Party Stability and Strength.*--Concerning the political parties
of Switzerland two or three things are worthy of special observation.
The first is the remarkable stability which these parties, despite
their obvious lack of cohesion, exhibit from the point of view both of
party identity and of party strength. Except the Socialists, who have
ceased to vote and act with the Radicals, there has sprung into
existence not one new political party since 1874. Numerous and varied
as have been the political issues of these four decades, no one of
them has given rise to a new party grouping. And, save for the gradual
augmentation of Radical strength to which allusion has been made,
there has been in this period no noteworthy change in the relative
strength of the party groups. Sudden fluctuations, such as in other
countries are common, are in Switzerland quite unknown. The reasons
are varied and not wholly clear, but among them seem to be the brevity
of national legislative sessions, the lack of federal patronage
whereby party zeal may be whetted, the indirect method of electing the
Federal Council, and the essentially non-partisan character of the (p. 436)
referendum.[638] Party strength in the National Council following the
election of 1878 was: Clericals, 35; Liberals, 31; Radicals, 69. After
the election of 1881 it was: Clericals, 36; Liberals, 26; and
Radicals, 83. In these proportions the six triennial elections between
1884 and 1902 produced no important change, although in 1890 the
Socialists broke somewhat into the balance by winning six seats. After
the census of 1900 the number of members of the Council was raised
from 147 to 167, and the results of the election of 1902 were as
follows: Clericals, 35; Liberals, 25; Radicals, 97; Socialists, 9; and
Independents, 1. In 1905 the Radicals, who hitherto had co-operated
with the Socialists in many constituencies, broke with them upon the
question of military policy, with the result that the Socialist
contingent in the Council was cut to two. In 1908 and 1911 the
Socialists made, however, some recovery;