The year 1831 was full of hopes and full of fears. Understandably, historical interest has focused on the hopes; for the popular assemblies and political aspirations of the revolution of 1831 figure heavily in the traditions of Italian nationalism. Yet to ignore the fears and the very real conditions that inspired them is to miss the complexity of the moment and to obscure the dynamics of the movement. Likewise, without understanding the social trepidation that underlay the revolution, the apparent paradoxes of the papal restoration become unintelligible. Why else would the papal regime rearm the rebels of Bologna only five months after defeating them? Why else would Austrian troops be greeted in 1832 as the saviors of the city? At every turn, in a year full of turns, the specter of crime, riot, and looting hung heavily over the province, shaping the political and tactical decisions of each group coming to power. Avoiding anarchy was the prime mover, the basic consideration that permeated the political process before, during, and after the revolution. All other objectives, goals, and programs had to be placed within that framework. Consequently, the police and public force held center stage for much of the time, acting and reacting to the changes wrought by different ideologies and authorities. With the revolution and its aftermath, the confusion of criminality, conspiracy, and politics that had marked the late 1820s entered a new phase, as opposition to the Pope's regime became manifest and fashionable, setting the wretched precettato and the fancy politico on the same side of the legal fence.