What happens when a loose collective of states and political entities see a revolution in France and then invasion by Napoleon? Hint: it probably has to do with secret police.
Following the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, the Confederation of German State banned together by common language. The experience of being occupied by a foreign enemy and seeing their neighbors bleed from revolution inspired the German States' first collective police network.
Along with the police network also came the development of an extensive international spy ring. They aimed to protect Germany's many sovereigns and prevent petty and political crimes.
Socials:
IG: @secretpolicepodcast
X: hush_popo
Gmail: secretpolicepodcast@gmail.com
Special Thanks to:
Jan Bögel as Paul Hilken
Sources:
Police and State in Prussia 1815-1850 by Alf Lüdtke
The Gestapo: A History of Horror by Jacquese Delarue
The Gestapo: The Myth and Reality of Hitler’s Secret Police
International Policing in Nineteenth-Century Europe: The Police Union of German States, 1851-1866. (2025). Blogspot.com. https://deflem.blogspot.com/1996/09/international-policing-in-19th-century.html
Facts About Germany. Geography & Climate. https://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/germany-glance/geography-climate
Ten Facts About Agriculture. https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/environment/agriculture-in-germany-ten-facts#:~:text=Grain%20is%20grown%20on%20about,followed%20by%20barley%20and%20rye.
Global Beer Consumption by Country in 2023. Kirin Holdings. https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/newsroom/release/2024/1219_01.html#:~:text=The%20Czech%20Republic%20consumed%20152.1,31st%20consecutive%20year%20since%201993.
Sullivan, R. E. (1999, July 26). Charlemagne | Biography, Accomplishments, Children, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charlemagne
Wagner, G. A., Krbetschek, M., Degering, D., Bahain, J.-J., Shao, Q., Falguères, C., Voinchet, P., Dolo, J.-M., Garcia, T., & Rightmire, G. P. (2010). Radiometric dating of the type-site forHomo heidelbergensisat Mauer, Germany. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(46), 19726–19730. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1012722107
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Why Did Russia & Prussia Have Such Similar Names? Name Explain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdqE-u0JJz0&ab_channel=NameExplain
Smith and Locke on Property | Adam Smith Works. (2019). Adamsmithworks.org. https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/smith-and-locke-on-property
Carl Schurz. (2025). American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/carl-schurz
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Barkin, K. (1998, July 20). Otto von Bismarck | Biography, Significance, Accomplishments, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-von-Bismarck/Prime-minister
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The Siege of Paris. (2022, Novemb
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