Police Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Bohemian Police During National Riots and Demonstrations around 1900
Abstract
Around 1900, the police found itself in an unenviable position, as the escalating national conflict caused multiple large riots and demonstrations in Bohemia. Policemen were often forced to balance between their imagined national communities and their duty towards the state.
This turned up to be a challenging task during the emotionally charged and tiring interventions during the street politics. Furthermore, policemen were frequently blamed for siding one nation, and, often hand-in-hand, deliberately terrorizing the members of the other nation.
To limit the critique, police force constantly had to strategize not only when acting on streets but also when negotiating with other members of the state or local administration (Bohemian governor, minister of interior, city council, e.g.). This left very little space for maneuvering, requiring constant actions outside of official policies.
Analyzing Czech/German media and police documents, I would like to present the complex position of policemen in Bohemian society, as well as strategies and mechanisms law enforcement applied during the demonstrations and riots to prevent the critique both from the members of the nation, but also from the superior members of the state administration.