Relationship Between Conscription and Chances of Going to War?

[west_eh]

My friend and I were having a discussion about military conscription and it's effect on the chances of going to war.

Assume that conscription is mandatory for every citizen for two years. Also, this is in a non-war time where people are being drafted for non-military service. But if a war were to break out, they would pick soldiers out of the same pool.

Here are the two points of view:

1) By having wide-spread conscription, there will be way more families who have a stake in a potential war. Families will become more critical of government foreign policy (ie. whether to go to war or not), because their sons/daughters will be at risk. Thus, having mandatory conscription decreases a country's chances of going to war.

2) By having wide-spread conscription, the government has more influence on a greater number of soldiers, and to a lesser extent their families. You open yourself up to propaganda and cultural/peer pressures which result in a one dimensional military mind set. People will not question the government as much due to those pressures, and thus the chance of going to war is greater.

Who's correct? If neither, explain please!

Thanks

[bobman0330]

I don't really understand the proposition that more families will be implicated in war by a draft. Why would they need more soldiers?

Also, a volunteer army requires the government to pay market salaries for soldiers, which can be pretty high. If they can just enslave people to send to the front, they can pay whatever they want.

[west_eh]

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I don't really understand the proposition that more families will be implicated in war by a draft. Why would they need more soldiers?

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We also assumed that conscription would result in a larger army (it's mandatory remember). Aren't countries always looking for more soldiers in a war-time?

[Bill Haywood]

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Who's correct? If neither, explain please!

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Either, depending on all the other factors that influence going to war.

I think universal conscription would reduce the chance of war more than increase it. More people with a stake.

The less active opposition to this war than Vietnam, both at home and in the ranks, I think is substantially because of the lack of a draft.

If the authorities know they have to use GIs more likely to reject a war, they'll be more hesitant.

[Misfire]

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The less active opposition to this war than Vietnam, both at home and in the ranks, I think is substantially because of the relatively small number of U.S. casualties

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