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The French Civil Guard was a short-lived initiative that only existed between August and October 1914, but which was the subject of much discussion between 1913 and 1920. In essence, it was a militia of “willing volunteer citizens” tasked with maintaining law and order during a period of military mobilisation when police numbers were reduced and state surveillance needs increased. Despite some success at the local level, the experiment failed and with it the idea of a “civil guard.” This, in turn, highlights early twentieth century French citizens’ expectations of professionalism from their police force.