2 days ago
German Secret Police pt. 1 Prussia & The Police Union
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
The. (1998, July 20). Saint Leo III | Pope, Charlemagne Coronation. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Leo-III
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
1923 – how our history started. (2023). Interpol.int. https://www.interpol.int/Who-we-are/Our-history/How-our-history-started
Barkin, K. (1998, July 20). Otto von Bismarck | Biography, Significance, Accomplishments, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-von-Bismarck/Prime-minister
Proclamation of the German Empire, 1871. (2018, August 23). Palace of Versailles; Versailles. https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/key-dates/proclamation-german-empire-1871#:~:text=On%2016%20December%201870%20a,in%20the%20Hall%20of%20Mirrors.
The Siege of Paris. (2022, November 15). Warfare History Network. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-siege-of-paris/
Swift, J. (2024, February 20). Siege of Paris (1870−71) | Summary. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Siege-of-Paris-1870-1871
Barkin, K. (1998, July 20). Otto von Bismarck | Biography, Significance, Accomplishments, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-von-Bismarck/Prime-minister
Bauer, D. S. (2025). Georges Boulanger: The Third Republic’s Spy Master? Proceedings of the Western Society for French History, 39. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.0642292.0039.018
History. (2022, April 12). Bayer.com. https://www.bayer.com/en/history/1881-1914
History of Deutsche Bank. (2020). Db.com. https://www.db.com/who-we-are/history/history-of-deutsche-bank?language_id=1
Bauer, D. S. (2025). Georges Boulanger: The Third Republic’s Spy Master? Proceedings of the Western Society for French History, 39. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.0642292.0039.018
The. (1998, July 20). Frederick III | Hohenzollern Dynasty, Prussian Reforms, German Unification. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-III-king-of-Prussia-and-emperor-of-Germany
Kaiser Wilhelm’s Left Arm and the Fate of the World. (2025). Blogspot.com. https://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2025/01/kaiser-wilhelms-left-arm-and-fate-of.html
Why did Wilhelm II get rid of Bismarck? (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX0Q8ZCz6GY&ab_channel=HistoryMatters
Balfour, M. G. (1998, July 20). William II | German Emperor & Prussian King. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-II-emperor-of-Germany
Barkin, K., & Strauss, G. (2023, September 21). History of Germany | Flag, Maps, Facts, Unification, & Pictures. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Germany/Germany-from-1871-to-1918
The. (1998, July 20). Alfred von Schlieffen | Biography & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-von-Schlieffen
Limbach, R. (2009, March 24). Schlieffen Plan | German WWI Strategy & Impact. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Schlieffen-Plan
The Schlieffen Plan - And Why It Failed I THE GREAT WAR Special feat. AlternateHistoryHub. The Great War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHeMPV5VDR4&ab_channel=TheGreatWar
Showalter, D. E., & Royde-Smith, J. G. (2000, January 12). World War I | Causes, Years, Combatants, Casualties, Maps, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I/Forces-and-resources-of-the-combatant-nations-in-1914
Domestic Sabotage: The Explosion at Black Tom Island (U.S. National Park Service). (2017). Nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-tom-wwi.htm
(2025). Warhistoryonline.com. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/plot-destroy-black-tom-island-wwi-visit-u-boat-deutschland.html
Reading the Enemy’s Mind: Espionage in World War I | Historical Documentary | Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWKP1vPSGbU&t=7s&ab_channel=Lucasfilm
Music:
Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove
Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by Media Music Group
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Bones - Quirky and mysterious plucked strings. Murder mystery and gothic mood by Gerardo
Final Speech by Humans Win
On the Edge of War Jon Presstone
Gnossienne No. 3 by Erik Satie
Sound FX:
Storyblocks
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!