The Empire
Napoleon did not believe that the middle-class National Guard would be able to maintain order and suppress riots. Therefore he created a Municipal Guard of Paris, which was strongly militarized. However, he did not abolish the National Guard, but was content to disarm it. He kept it in reserve and he mobilized it for the defense of French territory in 1809 and 1814. Twenty thousand national guardsmen took part in the Battle of Paris in 1814.
Read more about this topic: National Guard (France)
Famous quotes containing the word empire:
“Without the Empire we should be tossed like a cork in the cross current of world politics. It is at once our sword and our shield.”
—William Morris Hughes (1864–1952)
“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.””
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965)