Equally European?

Abstract

As the Millennium approaches it is tempting to observe some of the parallels with other fin de siecle periods. At the end of the 19th Century there was concern about the moral state of society. Temperance movements flourished, as did moral reform organisations dedicated especially to the eradication of vice and trafficking in women. One solution promoted very vigorously to these problems was to recruit women into the police force. Pressure groups were formed with this aim and this became an international trend. Although some of the strongest links were between promoters of female police in Britain, the USA and Australia, all of which established position for women officers in the early 20th Century, there were also ties with and between some European pioneers. One of the key speakers at an early rally in London to promote the cause of women's entry was the first female officer from Germany, from Stuttgart.