Facts about Conscription
Some groups, such as libertarians, say that conscription constitutes slavery, since it is mandatory work.
The conscription can be seen as the natural way to rely on man's role for the society: Each and every able-bodied male is first and foremost a soldier and only secondarily a citizen.
Traditionally, conscription has been limited to only the male population.
Some communitarians argue that peacetime conscription is an ideal tool for teaching the general population basic survival skills such as first aid, swimming, wilderness survival, and so on.
Several developed nations, however, do not rely on nuclear deterrent and maintain conscription.
Conscription may inspire camaraderie, unifying a people: All able-bodied males together as a union have had the same experience and are soldiers, and that may create unity and team spirit within a nation.
Canada also had a political dispute over conscription during World War II.
Similarly, mass protests against conscription to fight the Vietnam War occurred in several countries in the late 1960s.
The main arguments in favor of conscription normally center on rites of passage, manpower requirements, and improving quality.
Opponents of ageism, and advocates of youth liberation, argue that age-based military conscription is the most severe disparity on the basis of age of any government mandate on individuals.
Neutral countries, in particular, institute conscription to organize an independent defense, that is, to eliminate the need for foreign support.
Conscription typically involves individuals who are deemed fit for military service.
From that time, most countries restricted corvŠ¹e labor to military conscription and prison labor.
Conscription by national governments became widespread in Europe during the nineteenth century.
Communist countries, particularly the Soviet Union and its satellites, used conscription.
Arguments against conscription focus on issues of slavery, discrimination, and discipline problems.
An alliance with others, such as a NATO membership, may also provide a "nuclear umbrella" that also allows a country to eschew large-scale conscription.
Most governments have used conscription at some time, usually when the voluntary enlistment of soldiers failed to meet military needs.
Conscription is usually limited to young people, and the burden of conscription is almost never spread equally across all age groups.
Capital punishment has been commonly used as means of maintaining morale and keeping discipline in conscription armies but is currently not used in contemporary Western countries with conscription in peacetime.
A person who becomes a member of the armed forces through the process of conscription is called a conscript.
Avoiding conscription is possible by a number of means, including obtaining the status of conscientious objector, evading the draft, or deserting the army once conscripted.
The Israeli Defense Forces are based on conscription and its excellent performance is often explained by the quality of the manpower.
Israel is a small nation that maintains its Israeli Defense Force through conscription, deemed essential as a result of the various threats facing it in the Middle East.
Strictly speaking, "the draft" is the process by which individuals are chosen for conscription; conscription being the actual compulsory induction of individuals into the armed services.
Modern conscription was invented during the French Revolution, allowing the Republic to defend itself from European monarchies' attacks.
Nevertheless, the possibility and value of conscription as a deterrent to acts of war has been suggested on occasion.