From “Porous” to “Ruthless” Conscription, 1776-1917.
The writer considers what led the U.S. to abandon a long tradition of a volunteer military when it introduced a harsh federally-run draft system for nearly 40 years in the 20th century. He contends it happened because of a much stronger central government, a change in the political ideas of the eli...
| Published in: | Independent Review Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 587 - 599 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Independent Institute
Spring 2010
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| Summary: | The writer considers what led the U.S. to abandon a long tradition of a volunteer military when it introduced a harsh federally-run draft system for nearly 40 years in the 20th century. He contends it happened because of a much stronger central government, a change in the political ideas of the elite, and the Civil War draft. He demonstrates the impact of each of these factors on the introduction of a draft in 1917. |
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