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[[Image:Conscription map of the world.svg|thumb|right|220px|{{legend|#8cd19d|No armed forces}} {{legend|#5cacc4|No conscription}} {{legend|#fcb653|{{As of|2010|alt=Plan to abolish conscription}}}} {{legend|#ff5254|Conscription}} {{legend|#b9b9b9|No information}}]]
'''Conscription''', also known as '''the draft''' or '''national service''', is the compulsory enrolment of people and the term typically refers to their enlistment in a country's [[military]].<ref name="mw">http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscription</ref> It is known by various names, for example, the most recent conscription program in the [[United States]] was known colloquially as "[[Conscription in the United States|the draft]]". Conscription dates back to [[antiquity]] and continues to the present day. It was used by the [[Royal Navy]] between 1664 and 1814 but was called [[impressment]], or "the press".<ref name="Hickox">{{Cite book |last= Hickox|first= Rex |title= All You Wanted to Know about 18th Century Royal Navy|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2007 |isbn=1411630572}} Pages 16 - 19</ref>

Conscription, sometimes termed compulsory service, usually enrolls young men of a given age, commonly 18 to 26{{fact|date=May 2010}}, for a set period of time. The United States, "selectees" from the [[Selective Service System]] drafted men for [[World War I]] through the [[Vietnam war]] initially in an age range from 21 to 30 and expanded in 1918 to an age range of 18 to 45.<ref>[http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/163.html Records of the Selective Service System (World War I) ]; see also [[Selective Service Act of 1917]] and [[Selective Training and Service Act of 1940]].</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Singapore]], this was commonly known as "national service", while [[New Zealand]] called it, at first, [[Compulsory Military Training in New Zealand|compulsory military training]] and later [[national service]].

Conscription can be for an indefinite period of time. In the case of a widespread [[mobilization]] of forces for fighting a war, including the defence of home territory, men in a much wider age group, perhaps 18–55, can be enlisted. In the United Kingdom, this was commonly known as "call-up" while the [[Nazis]] termed it [[Volkssturm]] where men between 16 and 60 defended [[Germany]] during [[World War II]].<ref>http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/volkssturm/index.html</ref>

Many nations do not conscript their [[soldiers]] and [[sailors]], instead they rely upon [[Volunteer military|volunteers]] or, simply, a [[professional]] military.<ref name="list">http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mil_con-military-conscription</ref> Some of these nations, however, still reserve the power of conscription for use during wartime or times of crisis.<ref>http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008717</ref> It can be controversial, however, since conscripts may have religious, political or [[Conscientious objection|moral]] reasons for objecting. Because of this protests have occurred and conscripts have evaded their enlistment by emigrating.<ref>http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/vietnam_war/topics/348/</ref>

==History==
===Ilkum===
Around the reign of [[Hammurabi]] (1792-1750 [[BC]]), the [[Babylonian Empire]] used a system of conscription called ''Ilkum''. Under the system those eligible were required to serve in the royal army in time of war.<ref name=JN242 /> During times of peace they were instead required to provide labour for other activities of the state.<ref name=JN242 /> In return for this service, those subject to it gained the right to hold land.<ref name=JN242 /> It is possible that this right was not to hold land per se but specific land supplied by the state.<ref name=JN242>{{cite book |title=Early Mesopotamia Society and Economy at the Dawn of History |last=Postgate |first=J.N. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1992 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415110327 |page=242 }}</ref>

Various forms of avoiding military service are recorded. While it was outlawed by the [[Code of Hammurabi]], the hiring of substitutes appears to have been practiced both before and after the creation of the code.<ref name=JN243 /> Later records show that Ilkum commitments could become regularly traded.<ref name=JN243 /> In other places, people simply left their towns to avoid their Ilkum service.<ref name=JN243 /> Another option was to sell Ilkum lands and the commitments along with them. With the exception of a few exempted classes, this was forbidden by the Code of Hammurabi.<ref name=JN243>{{cite book |title=Early Mesopotamia Society and Economy at the Dawn of History |last=Postgate |first=J.N. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1992 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415110327 |page=243 }}</ref>

===Medieval levies===

In [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon England]], a levy of farmers was known as the [[fyrd]]. In for medieval [[Scandinavia]] the 'leiðangr' ([[Old Norse language|Old Norse]]), 'leidang' ([[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]), 'leding', ([[Danish language|Danish]]), 'ledung' ([[Swedish language|Swedish]]), 'expeditio' ([[Latin]]) or sometimes 'lething' ([[English language|Old English]]), was a levy of free farmers conscripted into coastal fleets for seasonal excursions and in defence of the realm.

Under the [[feudalism|feudal]] conditions for holding land in the medieval period, most [[peasants]] and [[freemen]] were liable to provide one man of suitable age per family for military duty when required by either the king or the local lord. Those who refused became [[outlaw]]s. The [[Conscription#Feudal levies|levies]] raised in this way fought as infantry under local superiors. This was essentially an early form of conscription. Although the exact laws varied greatly depending on the country and the period, generally these levies were only obliged to fight for one to three months. Most were subsistence farmers, and it was in everyone's interest to send the men home for harvest-time.

===Military slavery===
The system of military [[slaves]] was widely used in the [[Middle East]], beginning with the Egyptians training [[Mamluk]]s from the 9th century, to the Turks and [[Ottoman Empire]] through the 19th century.

In the middle of the 14th century, Ottoman Sultan [[Murad I]] developed personal troops to be loyal to him, with a slave army called the ''Kapıkulu''. The new force was built by kidnapping Christian children, especially from the far areas of his empire, in a system known as the ''[[devşirme]]'' (translated "blood tax" or "child collection"). The captive children were persuaded to convert to [[Islam]]. The Sultans had the young boys trained over several years. Those who showed special promise in fighting skills were trained in advanced warrior skills, put into the sultan's personal service, and turned into the [[Janissary|Janissaries]], the elite branch of the ''Kapıkulu''. Most of the military commanders of the Ottoman forces, imperial administrators and upper-level officials of the Ottoman Empire, such as [[Pargalı İbrahim Pasha]] and [[Sokollu Mehmet Paşa]], were recruited in this way.<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/lewis1.html Bernard Lewis. ''Race and Slavery in the Middle East''], Chapter readings for class at Fordham University</ref> By 1609 the Sultan's ''Kapıkulu'' forces increased to about 100,000.<ref>[http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~fisher/hst373/readings/inalcik6.html "In the Service of the State and Military Class"]</ref> As European Christian states increased in military power, they were able to stem and eventually repel most of the Islamic ''riazzas'' (invasions) into the European heartland.

The Sultan began turning to the [[Barbary Pirates]]. Their attacks on ships off the coast of Africa or in the Mediterranean , and capture of people for ransom or sale provided some captives for the Sultan's system. Eventually the Sultan turned to foreign volunteers from the warrior clans of [[Circassians]] in southern [[Russia]] to fill his Janissary armies. As a whole the system began to break down. The loyalty of the Jannissaries became increasingly suspect. [[Mahmud II]] forcibly disbanded the Janissary corps in 1826.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-300350/Janissary Janissary corps, or Janizary, or Yeniçeri (Turkish military)], ''Encyclopædia Britannica''</ref><ref>[http://i-cias.com/e.o/janissaries.htm Janissaries]</ref>

Similar to the Janissaries in origin and means of development were the Mamluks of Egypt in the [[Middle Ages]]. The [[Mamluks]] were usually captive non-Muslim Iranian and Turkish children who had been kidnapped or bought as slaves from the Barbary coasts. The Egyptians assimilated and trained the boys and young men to become Islamic soldiers who served the Muslim [[caliph]]s and the [[Ayyubid]] sultans during the [[Middle Ages]]. The first mamluks served the [[Abbasid]] caliphs in 9th century [[Baghdad]]. Over time they became a powerful military [[caste]]. On more than one occasion, they seized power, for example, ruling [[Egypt]] from 1250–1517.

From 1250 [[Egypt]] had been ruled by the [[Bahri dynasty]] of [[Kipchak]] origin. Slaves from the [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasus]] served in the army and formed an elite corp of troops. They eventually revolted in Egypt to form the [[Burgi dynasty]]. The Mamluks' excellent fighting abilities, massed Islamic armies, and overwhelming numbers succeeded in overcoming the Christian [[Crusades|Crusader]] fortresses in the Holy Land. The Mamluks were the most successful defense against the [[Ilkhanate|Mongol Ilkhanate]] of Persia and Iraq from entering Egypt.<ref>[http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0075_popup11.htm The Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty (Timeline)], Sunnah Online</ref>

On the western coast of Africa, Berber Muslims captured non-Muslims to put to work as laborers. They generally converted the younger people to Islam and many became quite assimilated. In Morocco, the Berber looked south rather than north. The Moroccan Sultan [[Moulay Ismail]], called "the Bloodthirsty" (1672–1727), employed a corps of 150,000 black slaves, called his [[Black Guard]]. He used them to coerce the country into submission.<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/lewis1.html Lewis. ''Race and Slavery in the Middle East'', Oxford Univ Press, 1994.]</ref>

===Invention of modern conscription===
The [[Swedish allotment system]] of the 17th century predates most conscription policies. The official layout of the system differs from the French and modern ones, but the effect was the same though on a lesser scale{{Clarify|date=March 2010}}.

Modern conscription, the massed military enlistment of national citizens (today recognized in the USA as "the draft"), was devised during the [[French Revolution]], to enable the [[French Republic|Republic]] to defend itself from the attacks of European monarchies. Deputy [[Jean-Baptiste Jourdan]] gave its name to the September 5, 1798 Act, whose first article stated: "Any Frenchman is a soldier and owes himself to the defense of the [[patriotism|nation]]." It enabled the creation of the ''[[Grande Armée]]'', what [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] called "the nation in arms," which successfully battled European professional armies. More than 2.6 million men were inducted into the French military in this way between the years 1800 and 1813.<ref>{{cite web|title=Conscription|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561714/conscription.html|work=|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kwRJ8b4l|archivedate=2009-10-31|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

The defeat of the [[Prussian Army]] shocked the Prussian establishment, which had believed it was invincible after the [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederician]] victories. [[Gerhard von Scharnhorst|Scharnhorst]] advocated adopting the ''[[levée en masse]]'', the military conscription used by France. The ''Krümpersystem'' was the beginning of short-term compulsory service in Prussia, as opposed to the long-term conscription previously used.<ref>Dierk Walter. ''Preussische Heeresreformen 1807–1870: Militärische Innovation und der Mythos der "Roonschen Reform"''. 2003, in Citino, p. 130</ref>

In the [[Russian Empire]], the military service time "owed" by serfs was 25 years at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1834 it was decreased to 20 years. The recruits were to be not younger than 17 and not older than 35.<ref>[http://www.roots-saknes.lv/Army/military_service_.htm Military service in Russia Empire]</ref> In 1874 Russia introduced universal conscription in the modern pattern, an innovation only made possible by the abolition of [[Serfdom in Russia|serfdom]] in 1861. New military law decreed that all male Russian subjects, when they reached the age of 20, were eligible to serve in the military for six years.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080603141235/http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/tcimo/tulp/Research/ARMING.htm Conscription and Resistance: The Historical Context] (archived from [http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/tcimo/tulp/Research/ARMING.htm the original] on 2008-06-03)</ref>

The [[Union Army]] introduced conscription in the [[American Civil War]]. The 1863 [[Enrollment Act]] permitted draftees to hire paid substitutes to fight in their place. This, and the [[Bounty jumper|bounty]] system, led to widespread dislike of conscription by the public at large; the [[New York Draft Riots]] were one symptom. In addition, draftees were viewed with disdain by volunteer soldiers and their officers. In the end, the draft provided only 6% of the Union Army's manpower. The US did not use conscription again until 1917 in preparation for war in Europe.<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.ausa.org/webpub/DeptArmyMagazine.nsf/byid/TWAH-759L7H?OpenDocument&Print=1
|publisher=AUSA: Army Magazine
|date=August 1, 2007
|title=The Draft
|author=Brig. Gen. John S. Brown
|accessdate=2007-01-15
|format=}}</ref>

[[Louis Althusser]] has underlined how [[Machiavelli]] was one of the first modern theorists to consider 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 that time were ravaging the divided Italian states.

Sending conscripts to foreign wars that do not directly affect the home nation's security has historically been politically contentious in democracies. For instance, during [[World War I]], bitter disputes broke out in [[Canada]] (see [[Conscription Crisis of 1917]]), [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] (see [[Compulsory Military Training (in New Zealand)|Compulsory Military Training]]) over conscription. Canada also had a political dispute over conscription during [[World War II]] (see [[Conscription Crisis of 1944]]). Similarly, mass protests against conscription to fight the [[Vietnam War]] occurred in the United States and allied countries in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (See also: [[Conscription Crisis]])

==Drafting of women==
{{as of|2006}}, countries that were drafting women into military service included [[China]], [[Eritrea]], [[Israel]], [[Libya]], [[Malaysia]], [[North Korea]], [[Peru]], [[Taiwan]], [[Egypt]] and [[Tunisia]]<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/military-international/ CBC News Indepth: International military<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/eri/hecer/disc/106/theecono.pdf The Economic Costs and the Political Allure of Conscription<!-- Bot generated title -->] (see footnote 3)</ref>. In the [[United Kingdom]] during World War II, beginning in 1941, women were brought into the scope of conscription but, as all women with dependent children were exempt and many women were informally left in occupations such as nursing or teaching, the number conscripted was relatively few.<ref>{{Citation
|title=Conscription in Britain, 1939–1964: the militarisation of a generation
|author=Roger Broad
|publisher=Taylor & Francis
|year=2006
|isbn=9780714657011
|page=[http://books.google.com/books?id=NWAzKA6ihUEC&pg=PA244 244]
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NWAzKA6ihUEC
|postscript=.
}}<br />
^ {{Citation
|title=Conscription into military service
|url=http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_conscription_l.html
|publisher=Peace Pledge Union
|postscript=.
}}</ref>. In the [[USSR]], there was no systematic conscription of women for the armed forces, but the severe disruption of normal life and the high proportion of civilians affected by World War II after the German invasion attracted many volunteers for what was termed "The Great Patriotic War".<ref>{{Citation
|title=Women at war, 1939-45
|author1=Jack Cassin-Scott
|author2=Angus McBride
|publisher=Osprey Publishing
|year=1980
|isbn=9780850453492
|pages=[http://books.google.com/books?id=gPUtcFooPNoC&pg=PA33 33-34]
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gPUtcFooPNoC
|postscript=.
}}</ref> Medical doctors of both genders could and would be conscripted (as officers), though. Also, the free Soviet university education system required Department of Chemistry students of both sexes to complete an ROTC course in NBC defense, and such female reservist officers could be conscripted in times of war. The [[United States]] came close to drafting women into the [[Nurse Corps]] in preparation for a planned [[Operation Downfall|invasion of Japan]].<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,775362,00.html
|title=Draft Women?
|date=January 15, 1945
|publisher=Time magazine
|accessdate=2008-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4580476
|title=The women's draft. An analysis of the controversy over the nurses' Selective Service Bill of 1945.
|coauthors=Kalisch PA, Kalisch BJ
|publisher=PubMed
|id=PMID: 4580476
|accessdate=2008-08-12}}</ref>

In 1981 in the United States, several men filed lawsuit in the case ''[[Rostker v. Goldberg]]'', alleging that the [[Military Selective Service Act]] violates the [[Due Process Clause]] of the [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]] by only requiring that men register with the [[Selective Service System]] (SSS). The [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] eventually upheld the Act, stating that "the argument for registering women was based on considerations of equity, but Congress was entitled, in the exercise of its constitutional powers, to focus on the question of military need, rather than 'equity.'"<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0453_0057_ZS.html Rostker v. Goldberg], Cornell Law School, retrieved 26 December 2006.</ref>

On October 1, 1999 in the [[Taiwan Area]], the [[Judicial Yuan]] of the Republic of China in its Interpretation 490 considered that the physical differences between males and females and the derived role differentiation in their respective social functions and lives would not make drafting males only violating the [[Constitution of the Republic of China]].<ref>[http://www.judicial.gov.tw/constitutionalcourt/EN/p03_01.asp?expno=490 Judicial Yuan Interpretation 490] translated by Jiunn-rong Yeh</ref> Though women are conscripted in Taiwan, [[transsexual]] persons are exempt.<ref>{{zh icon}}[http://www.nca.gov.tw/ncagov/UpLoad/downp/download.asp?ss=../laws/%C5%E9%A6%EC%B0%CF%A4%C0%BC%D0%B7%C7.doc Attachment] of the [http://www.nca.gov.tw/04/showdit.asp?sid=&%A7%C7%B8%B9=393 standard of the class of physical condition] of a draftee, Conscription Agency, Ministry of the Interior</ref>

==Conscientious objection==
{{Main|Conscientious objection|Antimilitarism|Conscientious objection throughout the world}}
A [[conscientious objector]] is an individual whose personal beliefs are incompatible with [[Armed forces|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 [[Firefighter|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. Some conscientious objectors are so for religious reasons &mdash; notably, the members of the historic [[peace churches]] are [[pacifism|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 [[Christianity|Christians]] should be neutral in worldly conflicts.

==Evading the draft==
{{Globalize/US}}
{{Main|Draft dodger}}
Historically, there has been resistance to conscription in almost every country and situation where it has been imposed.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} The [[New York Draft Riots]] (July 11 to July 16, 1863; known at the time as ''Draft Week''), were violent disturbances in [[New York City]] that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by [[United States Congress|Congress]] to [[Conscription in the United States#Early drafts|draft]] men to fight in the ongoing [[American Civil War]]. The [[Central Asian Revolt]] started in the summer of 1916, when the [[Russian Empire]] government ended its exemption of Muslims from military service.

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. 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, or when they are ordered into combat.

In the United States, especially during the Vietnam Era, some used political connections to ensure that they were placed well away from any potential harm, serving in what was termed a [[Champagne unit]]. Many would avoid military service altogether through college deferments, by becoming fathers, or serving in various exempt jobs (teaching was one possibility). Others used educational exemptions, became conscientious objectors or pretended to be conscientious objectors, although they might then be drafted for non-combat work, such as serving as a [[combat medic]]. It was also possible they could be asked to do similar civilian work, such as being a hospital orderly.

It was, in fact, quite easy for those with some knowledge of the system to avoid being drafted. A simple route, widely publicized, was to get a medical rejection. While a person could claim to have symptoms (or feign [[homosexuality]]) if enough physicians sent letters that a person had a problem, he might well be rejected. It often wasn't worth the Army's time to dispute this claim. Such an approach worked best in a larger city where there was no stigma to not serving, and the potential draftee was not known to those reviewing him.

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-dodgers". Particularly during the Vietnam War, US draft-dodgers usually made their way to [[Canada]], [[Mexico]] or [[Sweden]].

Many people looked upon draft-dodgers with scorn as being "cowards", but some supported them in their efforts. In the late years of the [[Vietnam War]], objections against it and support for draft-dodgers was much more outspoken, because of the casualties suffered by American troops, and the actual cause and purpose of the war being heavily questioned.

Toward the end of the US draft, an attempt was made to make the system somewhat fairer by turning it into a lottery, with each of the year's calendar dates randomly assigned a number. Men born on lower numbered dates were called up for review. For the reasons given above, this did not make the system any fairer, and the entire system ended in 1973. Today, American men 18-25 are required to register with the government, but there has not been a callup since the Vietnam Era.

There are those who are immune to the draft in certain countries; these people include anyone{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} who works for the government (teachers, police officers, lawmakers, etc.), people who work for [[government contractor]]s, and those who work in jobs essential to the operation of the country (waste management, power plants, etc.). In the [[United Kingdom]] this is known as a [[reserved occupation]] which is deemed necessary to the survival of the nation.

In Israel, the Muslim and Christian Arab minority are exempt from mandatory service, as are permanent residents such as the [[Druze]] of the Golan Heights. Ultra-Orthodox Jews may apply for a deferment of draft to study in [[Yeshiva]], but once they are finished studying, they are required to do national or army service. [[Druze]] and [[Circassians|Circassian]] Israeli citizens are liable, by agreement with their community leaders. Members of the exempted groups can still volunteer, but very few do, except for the Bedouin where a relatively large number have tended to volunteer.

== Countries with and without mandatory military service ==
{{Main|Military service}}
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+Conscription by country &mdash; Examples
!Country
!Land area (km<sup>2</sup>) <ref name=NM-land-area>[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_are_lan-geography-area-land Nationmaster: Land area]. SOURCE: All [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA World Factbooks] 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008.</ref>
!GDP nominal (US$M)<ref name=NM-gdp>[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_off_exc_rat-economy-gdp-official-exchange-rate Nationmaster: GDP]. SOURCE: All [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA World Factbooks] 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008</ref>
!Per capita<br>GDP (US$)<ref name=NM-gdp-percap>[http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/eco_gdp_off_exc_rat_percap-official-exchange-rate-per-capita&ob=ws Nationmaster: Per capita GDP]. SOURCE: All [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA World Factbooks] 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008.</ref>
!Population<ref name=NM-population>[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_pop-people-population Nationmaster: Population]. SOURCE: [http://devdata.worldbank.org/query/default.htm World Development Indicators database] and [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA World Factbooks].</ref>
!Government<ref name=NM-govt>[http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/gov_gov_typ-government-type&ob=ws Nationmaster: Government type]. SOURCE: All [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA World Factbooks] 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008.</ref>
!Conscription<ref name=NM-conscription>[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mil_con-military-conscription Nationmaster: Conscription]. SOURCE: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland, 1997. Data collected from the nations concerned, or as otherwise indicated.</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Albania || 27,398 || $10,620 || $2,949.57|| 3,619,778 || emerging democracy || Yes
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Algeria || 2,381,740 || $90,000 || $2,700.01 || 33,333,216 || republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Angola || 1,246,700 || $28,610 || $2,332.92 || 12,263,596 || republic; multiparty presidential regime || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Argentina || 2,736,690 || $210,000 || $5,210.67 || 40,301,927 || republic || Suspended 1994. Voluntary
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Australia || 7,617,930 || $908,800 || $31,550.09 || 21,007,310 || federal parliamentary democracy || No (abolished by parliament in 1972)<ref>Conscription was abolished by law in 1973. But the Defence Act 1903 as amended retained a provision that it could be reintroduced by proclamation of the Governor-General. Potentially all Australian residents between the ages of 18 and 60 could be called up in this way. However, the Defence Legislation Amendment Act 1992 further provided that any such proclamation is of no effect until it is approved by both Houses of Parliament. Though actual legislation is not required, the effect of this provision is to make the introduction of conscription impossible without the approval of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, {{cite web
|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/cib/1999-2000/2000cib07.htm
|title=Current Issues Brief 7 1999–2000 &mdash; Military Conscription: Issues for Australia
|author=Gary Brown
|publisher=Parliamentary library; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group
|date=October 12, 1999
|accessdate=2007-08-10}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Austria || 82,444 || $310,100 || $37,818.07 || 8,233,300 || federal republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Bahamas || 10,070 || $6,586, || $21,547.17 || 307,451 || constitutional parliamentary democracy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Bangladesh || 133,910 || $72,420 || $481.36 || 153,546,896 || parliamentary democracy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Belgium || 30,528 || $316,200 || $31,400 || 10,584,534 || federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy || No (conscription suspended since 1994)
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Belize || 22,806 || $1,274 || $4,327.67 || 301,270 || parliamentary democracy || Military service is voluntary
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Bhutan || 47,000 || $1,308 || $561.89 || 682,321 || in transition to constitutional monarchy; special treaty relationship with India || Yes (selective)
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Bolivia || 1,084,390 || $13,190 || $1,446.41 || 9,247,816 || republic || Yes (when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/country/bl-bolivia/mil-military
|title=South America > Bolivia > Military
|publisher=nationmaster.com}}</ref>)
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Bosnia and Herzegovina || 51,197 || $14,780 || $3,246.78 || 4,590,310 || emerging federal democratic republic || No (Abolished January 1, 2006.)
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Brazil || 8,456,510 || $967,000 || $6,915.40 || 196,342,592 || federal republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Bulgaria || 110,550 || $39,610 || $5,409.09 || 7,262,675 || parliamentary democracy || No (abolished by law on January 1, 2008<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.wri-irg.org/programmes/world_survey/country_report/en/Bulgaria
|title=Country report and updates: Bulgaria22 Oct 2008
|publisher=War Resisters' International
|date=22 Octobar 2008}}</ref>)
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Burma || 657,740 || $13,530 || $285.60 || 47,758,180 || military junta || No<ref name=NM-conscription /><br />
Officially prohibited, ''de facto'' still practiced<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers
|title=Burma: World's Highest Number of Child Soldiers
|date=October 15, 2002
|publisher=Human rights Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.bnionline.net/news/narinjara/6791-six-youths-conscripted-into-burmese-army.html
|title=Six Youths Conscripted into Burmese Army
|publisher=Narinjara News
|date=August 4, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.wri-irg.org/node/8111
|title=Arakanese Youth Arrested and Conscripted by Burmese Army
|date=June 19, 2009
|publisher=War Resisters' International
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2293
|title=Six Youths Conscripted into Burmese Army
|publisher=Narinjara
|date=August 4, 2009}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| China, People's Republic of || 9,326,410 || $3,251,000 || $2,459.43 || 1,330,044,544 || Communist state || Yes (selective<ref name=NM-conscription />) (Legalized by law, but have not yet been practiced{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}})
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Croatia || 56,414 || $51,360 || $11,430.32 || 4,491,543 || presidential/parliamentary democracy || No (abolished by law in 2008)<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/10/05/nb-07
|title=Croatia to abolish conscription military service sooner
|date=May 10, 2007
|publisher=Southeast European Times
|accessdate=2008-05-30}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Cuba || 110,860 || $45,580 || $4,000.34 || 11,423,952 || Communist state || Yes (both sexes{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}})
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Denmark || 42,394 || $311,900 || $57,039.71 || 5,484,723 || constitutional monarchy || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Djibouti || 22,980 || $841 || $1,694.29 || 506,221 || republic || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| El Salvador || 20,720 || $20,370 || $2,931.75 || 7,066,403 || republic || Legal, not practiced
|- style="background:#ddddff"
||Finland|| 304,473|| $245,000 ||$46,769.47||5,244,749|| republic || Yes ([[Alternative service]] available)
|- style="background:#ddffff"
||France|| 640,053<ref name=FactbookFrance>Includes the overseas regions of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion. {{Citation
|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html
|title=France
|publisher=CIA World Factbook
|accessdate=2008-04-09}}</ref> || $2,560,000 || $35,240.62 || 61,037,510 ||republic||No (suspended in 2001)<ref>[http://www.wri-irg.org/programmes/world_survey/country_report/en/France Country report and updates: France], War Resisters' International, October 23, 2008.</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Gambia, The || 10,000 || $653 || $386.77 || 1,735,464 || republic || No
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Germany || 349,223 || $3,322,000 || $40,315.05 || 82,369,552 || federal republic || Yes ([[Alternative service]] available<ref>[http://bundesrecht.juris.de/ersdig/index.html §§ 14 ff. ZDG]</ref>)
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Greece || 130,800 || $314,600 || $29,384.60 || 10,722,816 || parliamentary republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Grenada || 344 || $590 || $6,557.67 || 90,343 || parliamentary democracy || No (no military service)
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Hungary || 92,340 || $138,400 || $13,901.01 || 9,930,915 || parliamentary democracy || No (Peacetime conscription abolished in 2004<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.wri-irg.org/programmes/world_survey/country_report/en/Hungary
|title=Country report and updates: Hungary
|date=October 23, 2008
|publisher=War Resisters' International}}</ref>)
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Iran || 1,636,000 || $193,500 || $2,958.83 || 68,251,090 || theocratic republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| India || 2,973,190 || $1,099,000 || $972.68 || 1,147,995,904 || federal republic || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Indonesia || 1,826,440 || $432 || $3,980 || 237,512,352 || republic || selective
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Israel || 20,330 || $161,900 || $25,191.86 || 7,112,359 || parliamentary democracy|| Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Jamaica || 10,831 || $11,210 || $4,032.18 || 2,804,332 || constitutional parliamentary democracy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Japan || 374,744|| $4,384,000 || $34,402.26 || 127,288,416 || constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government || No
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Jordan || 91,971 || $16,010 || $2,644.89 || 6,198,677 || constitutional monarchy || Uncertain<ref>Data from the [http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mil_con-military-conscription Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland, 1997] indicates that Conscript Service was suspended indefinitely in 1992 and all members of the armed forces are regular volunteers. The [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/jo.html CIA World Factbook entry for Jordan] indicates based on 2004 data that conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register. The [http://www.child-soldiers.org/document/get?id=1385 Child Soldiers Global Report 2008] indicates, citing "Mustafa al-Riyalat, ''Representatives agree flag and reserve la'', ad-Dustour, April 2007", that compulsory Military Service Act No. 23 of 1986 put the minimum age limit at 18 and that this would be retained in the 2007 amendments.</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Korea, North || 120,410 || $40,000<ref name=cia-kn>{{cite web
|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html
|title=Korea, North
|publisher=CIA World Factbook
|accessdate=2007-08-12}} (2008 est.)</ref> || $1,800<ref name=cia-kn /> || 23,479,088<ref name=cia-kn /> || Communist state one-man dictatorship<ref name=cia-kn /> || Yes<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-9627.html
|title=North Korea, Military Conscription and Terms of Service
|publisher=Based on the Country Studies Series by Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress
|accessdate=2007-08-12}}.</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Korea, South || 98,190 || $957,100 || $19,514.81 || 48,379,392 || republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Kuwait || 17,820 || $60,720 || $24,234.11 || 2,505,559 || constitutional emirate || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Lebanon || 10,230 || $24,640 || $6,276.90 || 3,971,941 || republic || No (abolished in 2007)<ref>{{Citation
|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/le.html
|title=Lebanon
|publisher=CIA World Factbook
|accessdate=2008-05-30}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Libya || 1,759,540 || $57,060 || $9,451.85 || 6,173,579 || jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Lithuania || 65,300 || $38,350 || $10,725.96 || 3,565,205 || parliamentary democracy || No (Suspended on September 15, 2008)<ref>[http://www.wri-irg.org/node/8915 Lithuania: conscription suspended], War Resisters' International</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Luxembourg || 2,586 || $50,160 || $104,451.69 || 486,006 || constitutional monarchy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Macedonia, Republic of|| 24,856 || $7,497 || $3,646.55 || 2,061,315 || parliamentary democracy || No (abolished in 2006)<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.wri-irg.org/node/916
|title=Macedonia: Conscription abolished
|publisher=War Resisters' International
|date=1 Jun 2006}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Malaysia || 328,550 || $186,500 || $7,513.71 || 25,274,132 || constitutional elective monarchy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Maldives || 300 || $1,049 || $2,842.58 || 385,925 || republic || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Malta || 316 || $7,419 || $18,460.73 || 403,532 || republic || No
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Mexico || 1,972,550 || $893,400 || $8,218.88 || 109,955,400 || republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Moldova || 33,371 || $4,227|| $978.36 || 4,324,450 || republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Netherlands || 33,883 || $768,700 || $46,389.35 || 16,645,313 || constitutional monarchy || Legal, suspended since 1997
<ref>Conscription still exists, but the compulsory attendance was held in abeyance per January 1, 1997 (effective per August 22, 1996), {{cite web
|url=http://www.statengeneraaldigitaal.nl/thema_dienstplicht.html
|title=Afschaffing dienstplicht
|author=(unknown)
|publisher=Tweede Kamer (Dutch House of Representatives) and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Dutch Library)
|date=October 12, 1999
|accessdate=2009-07-27}}</ref>{{See also|Conscription in the Netherlands}}
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| New Zealand || 268,021 || $128,100 || $31,124.18 || 4,173,460 || parliamentary democracy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Pakistan|| 778,720 || $143,800 || $872.88 || 172,800,048 || federal republic || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Philippines || 298,170 || $144,100 || $2,582.17 || 96,061,680 || republic || Legal<ref>Article II Section 4 of [http://www.chanrobles.com/philsupremelaw2.html The Philippine Constitution] reads, "The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal, military or civil service."</ref>. Practiced selectively and only rarely<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.wri-irg.org/programmes/world_survey/country_report/en/Philippines
|title=Country report and updates: Philippines
|date=April 14, 1998
|publisher=War Resisters' international
|postscript=&sect;&nbsp;military service}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Poland || 304,459 || $420,300 || $10,911.71 || 38,500,696 || republic || No<ref>"Poland's defence minister, Bogdan Klich, said the country will move towards a professional army and that from January, only volunteers will join the armed forces.", {{Citation
|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/2505447/Poland-ends-army-conscription.html
|title=Poland ends army conscription
|author=Matthew Day
|date=5 August 2008
|publisher=telegraph.co.uk
|accessdate=2009-02-11}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Qatar || 11,437 || $67,760 || $74,688.97 || 824,789 || emirate || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Romania || 230,340 || $166,000 || $7,451.95 || 22,246,862 || republic || No (ended in 2007)<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35722.htm
|title= Background Note: Romania
|publisher=Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, US Department ofState
|month=April
|year=2008
|accessdate=2008-05-30}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Russia || 16,995,800 || $1,290,000 || $9,124.49 || 140,702,096 || federation || Yes ([[Alternative service]] available)
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Rwanda || 24,948 || $3,320 || $335.10 || 10,186,063 || republic; presidential, multiparty system || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Saudi Arabia || 376,000 || $276,900 || $13,622.68 || 28,146,656 || monarchy || No
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Seychelles || 455 || $710 || $8,669.64 || 82,247 || republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Singapore || 682.7 || $161,300 || $35,427.12 || 4,608,167 || parliamentary republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Slovenia || 20,151 || $46,080 || $22,933.99 || 2,007,711 || parliamentary republic || No<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://slonews.sta.si/index.php?id=1542&s=61
|title=Changing the Way Slovenia Sees the Armed Forces
|date=November 18, 2003
|publisher=slonews
|accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| South Africa || 1,219,912 || $282,600 || $6,423.04 || 48,782,756 || republic || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Spain || 499,542 || $1,439,000 || $35,576.37 || 40,491,052 || parliamentary monarchy || No (abolished by law on December 31, 2001)<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://aula2.el-mundo.es/aula/noticia.php/2000/11/09/aula973701814.html
|title=Cuenta atrás para que el último recluta vaya a la mili
|date=November 9, 2000}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Syria || 184,050 || $37,760 || $1,954.98 || 19,747,586 || republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Swaziland || 17,203 || $2,936 || $2,591.20 || 1,128,814 || monarchy || No
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Switzerland || 39,770 || $423,900 || $56,111.06 || 7,581,520 || formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic || Yes
|- style="background:#ddddff"
| Taiwan<ref name=cia-tw>{{cite web
|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tw.html
|title=Taiwan
|publisher=CIA World Factbook
|accessdate=2007-12-09}} (estimates based on 2006 data)</ref><br>|| 32,260 || $383,300 || $16,768.11 || 22,920,946 || multiparty democracy || Yes ([[alternative service]] available<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://english.taipei.gov.tw/docms/index.jsp?categid=2073&recordid=1347
|title=Substitute Service Center
|publisher=Department Of Compulsory Military Service, Taipei City Government
|accessdate=July 25, 2008}}</ref>)<br />
An all-volunteer force is planned by the end of 2014, but conscription will remain in practice thereafter.<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/03/10/2003438077
|title=Professional military by 2014: MND|author=Jimmy Chuang
|date=March 10, 2009
|publisher=Taipei times}}.</ref>
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Thailand || 511,770 || $245,700 || $3,776.0 || 65,493,296 || constitutional monarchy || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Tonga || 718 || $219 || $1,873.06 || 119,009 || constitutional monarchy || No
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Trinidad and Tobago || 5,128 || $20,700 || $19,590.99 || 1,047,366 || parliamentary democracy || No
|- style="background:#ddddff"
|| Turkey || 770,760 || $663,400 || $9,322.83 || 71,892,808 || republican parliamentary democracy || Yes
|- style="background:#ddffff"
| Venezuela || 882,050 || $236,400 || $9,084.09 || 26,414,816 || federal republic || Yes<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.analitica.com/bitblioteca/venezuela/constitucion_ingles.pdf
|title=CONSTITUTION OF THE BOLIVARIAN R E P U B L I C OF VENEZUELA
|date=December 20, 1999 (Promulgation date)
|publisher=analitica.com
|accessdate=2009-11-01
|separator=.
|postscript=. (Articles 134, 135).}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,IRBC,,VEN,4562d94e2,403dd226c,0.html
|title=Venezuela: Military service, including length of service, existence of alternative forms of service and penalties imposed on those who refuse to serve
|publisher=U.N. Refugee Agency
|author=Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
|date=18 December 2003
|accessdate=2009-11-01}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| United Kingdom || 241,590 || $2,773,000, || $45,626.38 || 60,943,912 || constitutional monarchy || No (except [[Bermuda Regiment]] )
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| United States || 9,161,923 || $13,840,000 || $45,958.70 || 303,824,640 || Constitution-based federal republic || No<ref>The United States abandoned the draft in 1973 under President [[Richard Nixon]], ended the Selective Service registration requirement in 1975 under President [[Gerald Ford]], and then re-instated the Selective Service registration requirement in 1980 under President [[Jimmy Carter]]. Today the [[Selective Service System|U.S. Selective Service System]] remains as a contingency, should a military draft be re-introduced. For more information see the [http://www.sss.gov/ U.S. Selective Service System] website.</ref> Registration remains required.
|- style="background:#ddffff"
|| Vanuatu || 12,200 || $455 || $2,146.52 || 215,446 || parliamentary republic || No
|}

==Arguments against conscription==
===Slavery===
Some groups, such as [[libertarians]], say that the draft constitutes [[slavery]], since it involves the State taking ownership of the subject's life and labor.<ref>U.S. Representative [[Ron Paul]][http://antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=5651 Conscription Is Slavery], antiwar.com, January 14, 2003.</ref>

===Sexism===
{{See also|Equality before the law}}
Traditionally conscription has been limited to the male population, as males have been warriors. Women and [[handicapped]] males have been exempted from conscription. Many societies have traditionally considered military service as a [[initiation rite|test of manhood]] and a [[rite of passage]] from boyhood into manhood.<ref>{{Citation
|author=Ben Shephard
|title=A War of Nerves: Soldiers and Psychiatrists in the Twentieth Century
|publisher=Harvard University Press
|year=2003
|isbn=9780674011199
|page=[http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=We1HZDUTpdEC&pg=PA18 18]
|url=http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=We1HZDUTpdEC
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|title=Encyclopedia of sex and gender: men and women in the world's cultures
|volume=Volume 2
|author1=Carol R. Ember
|author2=Melvin Ember
|publisher=Springer
|year=2003
|isbn=9780306477706
|pages=[http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=oGasFR3USxYC&pg=PA108 108-109]
|url=http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=oGasFR3USxYC
}}.</ref> [[Pacifist feminist]]s oppose conscription of women as well as men, arguing that it would have women become their own enemy by taking part in a patriarchal oppressive construct of the military. [[Israel]] is one country that does draft women, with exceptions for marriage and pregnancy reasons.

===Economics===
It can be argued that in a cost-to-benefit ratio, conscription during peace time is not worthwhile.<ref>Henderson, David R. "[http://econjwatch.org/issues/volume-2-issue-2-august-2005 The Role of Economists in Ending the Draft]" (August 2005).</ref> Months or years of service amongst the most fit and capable subtracts from the productivity of the economy; add to this the cost of training them, and in some countries paying them. Compared to these extensive costs, some would argue there is very little benefit; if there ever was a war then conscription and basic training could be completed quickly, and in any case there is little threat of a war in most countries with conscription. In the United States, every male resident must register with the [[Selective Service System]] on his 18th birthday, so he is available for a draft.

The cost of conscription can be related to the [[parable of the broken window]]. Military service can be related to any other work, such as that of [[Police officer|policemen]]. The costs of work do not disappear anywhere even if no salary is paid. The work effort of the conscripts is effectively wasted; unwilling work force is extremely inefficient and the conscripts also lose their the costs of all-volunteer paid force. The impact is especially severe in wartime, when civilian professionals are forced to fight as amateur soldiers. Not only is the work effort of the conscripts wasted and productivity is lost, but professionally-skilled conscripts are also difficult to replace in the civilian work force. Every soldier conscripted in the army is taken away from his civilian work, and away from contributing to the economy which funds the military. This is not a problem in an agrarian or pre-industrialized state where the level of education is universally low, and where a worker is easily replaced by another. However, this proves extremely problematic in a [[post-industrial society]] where educational levels are high and where the work force is highly sophisticated and a replacement for a conscripted specialist is difficult to find. Even direr economic consequences result if the professional conscripted as an amateur soldier is killed or maimed for life; his work effort and productivity is irrevocably lost.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=2136&chapter=195469&layout=html&Itemid=27#c_NIR_1360-016_footnote_nt1046 |title=Why Not a Volunteer Army? |accessdate=9 11 2008 |author=[[Milton Friedman]] |year=1967 |publisher=New Individualist Review}}</ref>

==Arguments for conscription==
===Political and moral motives===
{{See|Social contract|Social solidarity|Means of protection|Active citizenship}}
[[Jean Jacques Rousseau]] argued vehemently against professional armies, feeling it was the right and privilege of every citizen to participate to the defense of the whole society and a mark of moral decline to leave this business to professionals. He based this view on the development of the [[Roman republic]], which came to an end at the same time as the Roman army changed from a conscript to professional force.<ref>[[s:The Social Contract|Rousseau, J-J. Social Contract.]] Chapter "The Roman Comitia"</ref> Similarly, [[Aristotle]] linked the division of armed service among the populace intimately with the political order of the state.<ref>[[s:Politics (Aristotle)/Book 6|Aristotle, Politics, Book 6]] Chapter VII and [[s:Politics (Aristotle)/Book 4|Book 4]] Chapter XIII.</ref> [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] argued strongly for conscription, seeing the professional armies as the cause of the failure of societal unity in Italy.

Other proponents such as the late [[William James]] consider both mandatory military and [[national service]] as ways of instilling maturity in young adults.<ref>[http://www.constitution.org/wj/meow.htm The Moral Equivalent of War] - William James, 1906</ref>

===Economic & resource efficiency===
{{See|Industrial warfare|Total war|War effort}}
It is estimated by the British military that in a professional military, one company deployed for active duty in peacekeeping corresponds to three inactive companies at home. Salaries for each are paid from the military budget. In contrast, volunteers from a trained reserve are in their civilian jobs when they are not deployed.<ref>{{Citation
|author=Gustav Hägglund
|title=Leijona ja kyyhky
|year=2006
|publisher=Otava
|language=Finnish
|isbn=9511211617}}</ref>

==Related concepts==
* [[Arrière-ban]]
* [[Civil conscription]]
* [[Civilian Public Service]]
* [[Corvée]]
* [[Economic conscription]]
* [[Impressment]] and the [[Quota System (Royal Navy)|Quota System]]
* [[Indentured servant]]
* [[Involuntary servitude]]
* [[National Service]]
* [[Zivildienst]]

==See also==
{{Commons category|Conscription}}
* [[Alternative service]]
* [[Bermudians Against the Draft]] (BAD) - a pending court case challenging the legality of continued conscription by the [[Bermuda Regiment]] as a military agency of a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.
* [[Bevin Boys]]
* [[Conscription in the United States]]
* [[Flogging#Flogging as military punishment|Flogging as military punishment]]
* [[Levée en masse]]
* [[List of countries by number of troops]]
* [[Men's Rights]]
* [[Military history]]
* [[Military service]]
* [[Military of Switzerland]]
* [[Taliban conscription]]
* [[Timeline of women's participation in warfare]]
* [[Military recruitment]]
* [[Volunteer military]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
{{Wiktionary|conscription}}
*[http://chartsbin.com/view/tpe Conscription Policy by Country] interactive world map.
*Goodwin, Jason. 1998. ''Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire''
*Kinross, John Patrick Douglas Balfour, Baron. 1977. ''The Ottoman Centuries, The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire''
*Levi, Margaret. 1997. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=V4l7Zs-mtA8C Consent, Dissent and Patriotism]''. New York: Cambridge University Press.
*Leander, Anna. ''[http://afs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/4/571 Drafting Community: Understanding the Fate of Conscription]'', ''Armed Forces & Society'', Jul 2004; vol. 30: pp.&nbsp;571–599
*Sorensen, Henning. ''[http://afs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/313 Conscription in Scandinavia During the Last Quarter Century: Developments and Arguments]'', ''Armed Forces & Society'', Jan 2000; vol. 26: pp.&nbsp;313–334
*Kestnbaum, Meyer. ''[http://afs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/27/1/7 Citizenship and Compulsory Military Service: The Revolutionary Origins of Conscription in the United States]'', ''Armed Forces & Society'', Oct 2000; vol. 27: pp.&nbsp;7–36
*Burk, James. ''[http://afs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/15/3/431 Debating the Draft in America]'','' Armed Forces and Society'', Apr 1989; vol. 15: pp.&nbsp;431–448
*MacLean, Alair. ''[http://afs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/34/4/682 The Privileges of Rank: The Peacetime Draft and Later-life Attainment]'', ''Armed Forces & Society'', Jul 2008; vol. 34: pp.&nbsp;682–713

[[Category:Conscription|*]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Political theories]]

{{Link GA|fa}}
[[ar:تجنيد إجباري]]
[[ca:Servei militar]]
[[cs:Všeobecná branná povinnost]]
[[da:Værnepligt]]
[[de:Wehrpflicht]]
[[es:Servicio militar]]
[[eo:Deviga militservo]]
[[fa:خدمت وظیفه عمومی]]
[[fr:Conscription]]
[[gan:招兵]]
[[ko:징병제]]
[[id:Wajib militer]]
[[it:Coscrizione]]
[[he:גיוס חובה]]
[[hu:Sorkatonai szolgálat]]
[[nl:Dienstplicht]]
[[ja:徴兵制度]]
[[no:Verneplikt]]
[[nn:Verneplikt]]
[[pl:Pobór (wojsko)]]
[[pt:Conscrição]]
[[ru:Воинская обязанность]]
[[sl:Nabor]]
[[fi:Asevelvollisuus]]
[[sv:Värnplikt]]
[[th:เกณฑ์ทหาร]]
[[tr:Zorunlu askerlik]]
[[uk:Військова повинність]]
[[zh:徵兵制]]

Revision as of 14:00, 19 May 2010

"Conscript" redirects here. For other uses, see Conscript (disambiguation).

it is bad!

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