Information AboutConscription |
Conscript redirects here, but may also refer to Artificial Script . Conscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority, but it is most often used in the specific sense of government policies that require (very often, male only) citizens to serve in their Armed Forces . It is known by various names—for example, the most recent conscription program in the United States was known colloquially as "''' The Draft '''". Many nations do not ''maintain'' conscription forces, instead relying on a volunteer or professional military most of the time, although many of these countries still reserve the possibility of conscription for wartime and "crises" of supply. "Conscription" has also sometimes been used as a general term for non-military Involuntary Labour demanded by some established authority; for example, some translators of Old Testament commentaries use the term to describe the levies of labour used to build the Temple. In Japan during World War II , Japanese women and children were conscripted to work in factories. Referring to forced service in the armed forces, the term "conscription" has two main meanings:
The term "conscription" refers only to the mandatory service; thus, those undergoing conscription are known as "conscripts" or "selectee" in the United States (from the Selective Service System or the Selective Service Initiative announced in 2004 ). In the U.S. the term "enlisted" is often used to refer only to those who have volunteered for service in roles other than as Commissioned Officers . HISTORY The invention of modern conscription during the French Revolution Modern conscription was invented during the ." It enabled the creation of the '' Grande Armée '', what Napoleon Bonaparte called "the nation in arms", which successfully battled European professional armies. According to philosopher Michel Foucault , conscription is one of the forms taken by "disciplinary institutions", along with hospitals, schools and prisons. Louis Althusser has also underlined how Machiavelli was one of the first modern theorists to think the relationship between conscription and the creation of a nation, or successfully bolstering Patriotism . Machiavelli despised the use of Mercenaries and professional armies, which at this time were ravaging the divided Italian states. Disputes over conscription (World War I, Vietnam War, etc.) Conscription, particularly when the conscripts are being sent to foreign wars that do not directly affect the security of the nation, has historically been highly politically contentious in democracies. For instance, during ) In developed nations, the increasing emphasis on technological firepower and better-trained fighting forces, the sheer unlikelihood of a conventional military assault on most developed nations, as well as memories of the contentiousness of the Vietnam War experience, make mass conscription unlikely in the foreseeable future. Russia , as well as many smaller nations, retain mainly conscript armies. THE GENDER ISSUE Some countries which draft women include the People's Republic Of China , Taiwan (ROC), North Korea , Peru , Malaysia , Libya , Israel , and Eritrea . In 2002 , Sweden 's government asked the army to consider mandatory military service for women. Some have considered the practice of excluding women from the draft unfair, because they feel it goes against principles of Equality . Some simply argue that women can be militarily useful, and that excluding them places an unnecessary limit on resources. During World War II, women were drafted into the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union . The United States came close to drafting women into the Nurse Corps in preparation for a planned invasion of Japan; the Japanese surrender made this unnecessary. The non- Egalitarian policy practiced by some countries of drafting men and not women has often been a flash point and source of conflict. This policy is often cited by some Masculists as an example of an unfair policy which benefits women over men. Most avowed anti-feminists are strongly opposed to women in combat. Apprehension about the possible conscription of women was a key factor that led to the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment in the United States. Conscription certainly imposes on the freedom of the individual and although some conscripts feel that they benefited from the experience others feel that their time could have been spent more productively pursuing their chosen studies or career paths See BBC news article on the end of French conscription Individual resentment may also be compounded by the typically low wages paid to conscripts, especially in countries such as Greece . Feminists and others calling for more equal treatment of women in society have rarely extended their demands to include a call for equality for women with regards the draft. The topic of male-only conscription in the UK was the focus of a large number of books, plays and other literature, most of which portrayed the writers experience of conscription in a very negative way, emphasizing the brutality and tedium of military training. Examples include Arnold Wesker 's ''Chips with Everything'' and ''Ginger You're barmy'' by David Lodge . In his book, Lodge suggests that the practice of male-only conscription helped to generate sexist attitudes by making it difficult for men to regard those who were excused the rigors of military training as their equals. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION A Conscientious Objector is an individual whose personal beliefs are incompatible with Military Service , or sometimes with any role in the armed forces. In some countries, conscientious objectors have special legal status which augments their conscription duties. For example, Sweden allows conscientious objectors to choose a service in the "weapons-free" branch, such as an airport Fireman , Nurse or Telecommunications technician. Some may also refuse such service as they feel that they still are a part of the military complex. The reasons for refusing to serve are varied. Many conscientious objectors are so for religious reasons—notably, the members of the Historic Peace Churches are Pacifist by doctrine, and Jehovah's Witnesses , while not strictly speaking pacifists, refuse to participate in the armed services on the grounds that they believe Christians should be neutral in worldly conflicts. DRAFT EVADERS Not everyone who was conscripted was willing to go to war. Many young people used their family's political connections to ensure that they were placed well away from any potential harm. They would avoid military service altogether through college deferments. Others with political influence often joined the military and served in what was termed a Champagne Unit . Others used educational exemptions, became conscientious objectors or pretended to be conscientious objectors. For others, the most common method of avoiding the draft was to cross the border into another country. People who have been "called up" for military service and who attempted to avoid it in some way, were known as " Draft-dodger s". U.S. draft-dodgers made their way to Canada or Mexico . Many people looked upon draft-dodgers with scorn as being "cowards", but some supported them in their efforts. DRAFT RESISTERS See Also: Antimilitarism Historically, there has been resistance to conscription in almost every country and situation where it has been imposed. In the USA and some other countries, the Vietnam War saw new levels of opposition to conscription and the Selective Service System . Many people opposed to and facing conscription, chose to either apply for classification and assignment to civilian alternative service or noncombatant service within the military as conscientious objectors, or to evade the draft by fleeing to a neutral country. A small proportion, like Muhammad Ali , chose to resist the draft by publicly and politically fighting conscription. Some people resist at the point of registration for the draft . In the USA since 1980, for example, the draft resistance movement has focused on mandatory draft registration. [http://www.resisters.info/prosecutions.html [http://www.resisters.info/nojoke.html] Others resist at the point of induction, when they are ordered to put on a uniform, when they are ordered to carry or use a weapon, when they are ordered into combat, or when they are ordered to commit what they believe to be war crimes or atrocities. DESERTERS Some conscripts who were registered for military service, nevertheless failed to arrive at induction and were listed as Absent Without Leave (AWOL). Others, simply deserted whilst in uniform, or handed their weapons over to the enemy. During the Angolan War , the African National Congress (ANC) called for South African soldiers to desert. COUNTRIES WITH MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE (PARTIAL LIST) |
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