“The Penetration of French Ideas”: The Role of the Gendarmerie of Alsace and Lorraine in the Local Rebuilding of French National Identity (1918–1925)

Abstract

Forty-five countries in the world have a Gendarmerie or similar force. Yet what is a Gendarmerie? What are its differences with a police force—and what are its specific purposes? Answers to these questions are often sought in law or sociology but rarely in history; a study of France’s National Gendarmerie activities in Alsace and Lorraine during the First World War will however reveal—much more clearly than any other approach—the essential function of this corps: building the nation. From 1917 onwards and after 1918 in particular, the task of making Alsace and Lorraine French again was therefore the core mission to which local gendarmes—most of them originating from the two provinces—devoted their relentless efforts.