Consolidation of Power and Heavy-handed Policing

In the podcast episode, it is discussed how Napoleon Bonaparte was consolidating his power over France and how his secret police were engaged in a shadow war with dissidents from both the far left and the far right. The French public, however, cared more about peace and stability and perceived the regime as comparatively liberal and tolerant, as it mainly violated the rights of radicals. The regime used heavy-handed policing measures, including military tribunals and military sweeps against bandits and royalist partisans, resulting in numerous arrests, executions, and a decline in violence.