Policing Cities in Napoleonic Europe

This book shows how the police functioned in the cities of the Napoleonic Empire. Shifting attention away from political repression, it focuses on the men who embodied this institution and made it work day-to-day. Based on extensive archival research, the book shows how the Napoleonic police were indeed an instrument of power, but also a profession and a service to the public. Traditionally associated with the image of Joseph Fouché and with political surveillance, the Napoleonic police, when studied from the local level, thus reveals itself to be much more complex and oriented simultaneously towards both the preservation of the regime and maintaining good urban order.

Introduction. - 1. The police system in the cities. - 2. The development of a professional culture. - 3. From cities to Empire: `imperialization of police structures. - 4. Police work and the people. - 5. Policing as a tool for governing and improving the city. - 7. Conclusion.