The evolution of ideas about uniform among the ranks of the gendarmerie
The article analyzes the ideas of employees of the Russian political police about uniform. The attitude of the gendarmes to the uniform as to the attribute of the officer’s honor was acquired from the army environment. The paper identifies the historical factors that influenced the evolution of these ideas. The development of the revolutionary movement in late XIX - early XX century led to the creation of a new investigative system in which most gendarmes had to play other roles, having turned from the officials monitoring the population to the masters of manhunt. To preserve their own life, as well as agents from failure, the gendarmes increasingly preferred to use civilian clothing.