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The French Third Republic introduced more guarantees of civil liberties than any previous French regime, yet citizens remained unable to challenge police violence and illegality in court—even though the Penal Code provided a legal basis for prosecuting police misconduct. This article reveals how police managers and the judiciary in Paris collaborated to avoid bringing charges against police personnel. It also highlights the significant role played by French civil liberties activists and organizations, most notably the League of Human Rights, in pushing for more transparency and accountability in policing. While historians of policing have noted the discrepancies between high-minded republican ideals and limitations on citizens' rights and liberties, they see this as stemming from incomplete republicanization and justify police impunity as necessary for the defense of the Republic and its values. This article argues instead that the continued absence of police accountability to the law was rooted in republican values and priorities themselves. Moreover, the failure to prosecute police placed the French Third Republic increasingly at odds with developments in Britain and Prussia. Finally, it provides the basis for further comparative research into how different political regimes, past and present, respond to citizens' complaints about police abuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the representation of French India at the French India pavilion during the 1931 Colonial Exposition in Paris, France. Topics considered include the French empire, collective memory, colonial historiography, colonial administration during the French Third Republic. It discusses the changing fortunes of Pondichéry, India, which began as an 18th century French colonial outpost, but was traded back and forth with the British as a result of ongoing hostilities between the countries. The biography of French commercial broker Ananda Ranga of the Compagnie des Indes (French East India Co.) is considered.

The article discusses royal heritage and the sale at auction of the crown jewels in France during the early Third Republic. Emphasis is given to topics such as the conservation of historical and artistic objects, the cataloging and bid management for auction items, and the symbolism of the sale in the opposition of art historian Germain Bapst.

The article considers popular opinions in France towards Russia during the fin-de-siècle which helped lead towards the Dual Alliance military treaty between the two countries. Topics explored include the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, a comparative study of autocratic Tsarist Russia and France's democratic Third Republic, salons by pan-Slavic activists Olga Novikova, Princess Liza Trubetskaia, and Juliette Adam.