English

police state

A political entity, usually a state, whose government exercises strict and repressive control of its people.

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    Origin

    Likely a calque of German Polizeistaat adopted following the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 and the ensuing Demagogenverfolgungen, culminating in the crackdown of liberal and anarchical movements popular in the 1840s during the German revolutions of 1848–1849. Equivalent to police + state.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • calqueGermanPolizeistaat
    • surface analysisEnglishpolice “A constituted body of officers representing the civil authority of government, empowered to maintai…”
    • surface analysisEnglishstate “A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.”

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