conscription

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Franklin D. Roosevelt and the military draft

For Students

conscription summary

Read Next

Sailors attending information warfare courses at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station march to class at Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida. These Sailors are just some of the many thousands training and preparing to defend America around the world as information warfare warfighters. September 30, 2019

Pro and Con: Mandatory National Service

Berlin, 1936 - Jesse Owens of the USA in action in the mens 200m at the Summer Olympic Games. Owens won a total of four gold medals.

Was Jesse Owens Snubbed by Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympics?

Portrait of Salvador Dali in front of painting "The Madonna of Port Lligat."

Famous Mustaches in History

Commemorative medal of Nobel Prize winner, Johannes Diderik Van Der Waals

7 Nobel Prize Scandals

American soldiers in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge.

9 Questions About World War II Answered

Discover

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

The Sun Was Eaten: 6 Ways Cultures Have Explained Eclipses

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.

What Is an Aftershock?

Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere

Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?

History & Society

conscription

military service

Also known as: compulsory military service, draft

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 25, 2024 • Article History

Franklin D. Roosevelt and the military draft

See all media

Category: History & Society

Also called:: draft

Key People:: Adolf Hitler; Alexander II; August, Count Neidhardt von Gneisenau; Albrecht Theodor Emil, count von Roon; Edward Douglass White

Related Topics:: armed force; levée en masse; fyrd

See all related content →

conscription, compulsory enrollment for service in a country’s armed forces. It has existed at least from the time of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (27th century bce), but there have been few instances—ancient or modern—of universal conscription (calling all those physically capable between certain ages). The usual form—even during total war—has been selective service. Modified forms of conscription were used by Prussia, Switzerland, Russia, and other European countries during the 17th and 18th centuries. The first comprehensive nationwide system was instituted by the French Republic in the wars following the French Revolution and was institutionalized by Napoleon after he became emperor ...(100 of 1218 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.