Is Compulsory Military Service Fascism?

[Greater Rostoria]

No, compulsory military service is not Fascism. Is it wrong? Thats arguable and depends from person to person.

Personally, I do believe compulsory military service is a noble and patriotic duty of citizens. But I do understand the concerns of those who think its wrong. But its not fascism, not at all.

killing people should never be glorified. Being a doctor and a teacher is a sacred duty, not a military service. I'm ashamed to be in the same world as you and people like you

Person who I dont like = Evil

It is a duty to serve the state and its people, conscription is a good way to experience more and meet new people. It is also a good way to develop yourself as a man, if you dont like something you suck it up and adapt. And where im from its an Uzbeks duty to serve the wider community. If a nation or rebel group decides to attack your people and state, do you run away and let it happen?

[Sky Reavers]

Person who I dont like = Evil

It is a duty to serve the state and its people, conscription is a good way to experience more and meet new people. It is also a good way to develop yourself as a man, if you dont like something you suck it up and adapt. And where im from its an Uzbeks duty to serve the wider community. If a nation or rebel group decides to attack your people and state, do you run away and let it happen?

Experience such delightful things as gunshot wounds, trench foot and a loss of one or several limbs. And it's a nice way to develop PTSD. Plus, not everyone is a good fighter and many folks, who don't even wanna be there gonna be more of a burden than reliable protector on the battlefield. There are other ways to develop oneself, that don't involve risk of getting killed or maimed.

[New Visayan Islands]

A policy rooted in simple authoritarianism does not a fascist make. Militarism, in the context of this topic, is not enough for a nation to qualify for the epithet of fascist; it might be plain-jane authoritarian, but the argument that it is fascist is so insufficient that it comes off as "I don't like it, therefore it's literally straight out of Mussolini's playbook," never mind that compulsory military service as a policy predates Fascism as we understand it.

[Najairadarethu]

It can actually be the only way to avoid living under fascism if you have to defend yourself against aggressive, fascist neighbours.

[Rakhalia]

As always there's a lot of nuance to this question.

It's less "is compulsory military service *fascism*", and more "is compulsory military service *fascist*?"

Ultimately, the fact of the matter is that the military and veterans have always been a basis for fascist attitudes among the population. This is not to say that everyone in a military is a fascist, but that there is a solid base of inclinations there which can be used as a building-block for fascism. Really, the explicit, out-and-out fascist for civil life is rather militaristic: common and strict social discipline, well-organised from above, with a rigid command hierarchy and focus on unit/group cohesion.

This is why career officers and soldiers in national militaries will tend to have more right-wing or 'authoritarian' personalities. It's also why a stable society with compulsory military service will tend to take on more of the trappings of fascism: through inculcating these attitudes into the population, and familiarising them with the tools of social repression used to execute such attitudes, it will on the whole introduce more potential fascists into society at large. The constant bombardment of patriotic propaganda in national militaries probably doesn't help.

That's not to mention the factors behind a government employing compulsory military service. Conscription in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy was almost certainly fascist: it was forcing people to pick up guns and go out to fight in the name of fascism. So it can be variable as well.

[The United Penguin Commonwealth]

not on its own. fascism is a specific hierarchy and method of ruling. compulsory military service is common in fascist systems, but compulsory military service is not fascist.

[Greater Los Angeles]

It's nowhere near fascism.

Things would probably be better for America if compulsory military service was in existence.

[Rakhalia]

not on its own. fascism is a specific hierarchy and method of ruling. compulsory military service is common in fascist systems, but compulsory military service is not fascist.

If you agree that compulsory military service is a common element of fascism, then surely it has to have a certain fascist element to it -- otherwise it would not appeal to fascists.

[Auzkhia]

Not necessarily, but fascists almost always have it. It's definitely something that should be abolished especially by any country that considers itself to be democratic and peaceful. We can at least say it's an authoritarian and pro military policy and you can then see why fascists like it, even if it is not inherent to their ideology (which is rather incoherent but an extreme reverence of the military is a common factor)

[Greater Los Angeles]

not on its own. fascism is a specific hierarchy and method of ruling. compulsory military service is common in fascist systems, but compulsory military service is not fascist.

If you agree that compulsory military service is a common element of fascism, then surely it has to have a certain fascist element to it -- otherwise it would not appeal to fascists.

It's prevalent in socialist nations, too.

[Rakhalia]

If you agree that compulsory military service is a common element of fascism, then surely it has to have a certain fascist element to it -- otherwise it would not appeal to fascists.

It's prevalent in socialist nations, too.

Fascism isn't a by-the-book boogeyman characterisation of an entire society anymore. Societies which are on the whole *not* fascist can still employ elements of fascism.

[New Visayan Islands]

It's nowhere near fascism.

Things would probably be better for America if compulsory military service was in existence.

It took the metaphorical Pain Glove* that was Vietnam to put that idea to rest, hence the modern US military being an all-volunteer force**.

* In the sense that the ground-pounders were draftees who, upon return, would have had insult added to injury simply because their numbers were up.
** That still has Selective Service on its books simply as a Hell-in-a-handbasket thing, but I digress.

[ThePlague]

Clearly not.
Compulsory service is very far away from fascism, and in my country (Second my father) is Very diferent from Turkey.
And military service can help against fascism as well.

[Sky Reavers]

Clearly not.
Compulsory service is very far away from fascism, and in my country (Second my father) is Very diferent from Turkey.
And military service can help against fascism as well.

Can help agaisnt fascism... at least theoretically. Can help fascism too.

[ThePlague]

Clearly not.
Compulsory service is very far away from fascism, and in my country (Second my father) is Very diferent from Turkey.
And military service can help against fascism as well.

Can help agaisnt fascism... at least theoretically. Can help fascism too.

Depends of how is used as well.

[Relikai]

I'm a conscript who served two years compulsory which means about 66,000 USD of potential entry level income given my education level.

Compulsory Military Service hurts yes.

But it's because we learnt that as a people we cannot depend on others to defend the land for us, as proven in World War 2 (Thanks ABDACOM!).

So we suck it up, adapt, and pass our 1 millionth bespectacled trooper going through the basics of soldiery to be a number.

With how our neighbours has always been belligerent one way or another, Sī vīs pācem, parā bellum

[Page]

Is it fascism? It's an aspect of fascism in the same sense that doors are an aspect of a building, but doors are not synonymous with buildings.

Is compulsory military service morally unacceptable? In my view, yes it is. My body is my own, not a tool for the state to do its dirty work.

[Inner Albania]

Is it fascism? It's an aspect of fascism in the same sense that doors are an aspect of a building, but doors are not synonymous with buildings.

Is compulsory military service morally unacceptable? In my view, yes it is. My body is my own, not a tool for the state to do its dirty work.

To be honest, it can be an aspect of fascism, but many socialist nations also have compulsory military service.

My father served in compulsory military service in 1980s Poland, which was a communist country back then.

[Cosmic79]

Hello nationstates family. I just came back from my compulsory military service (3000$). I feel robbed and humiliated. I used a G3 infantry rifle by force, it was very dirty everywhere and I got pneumonia, people were very rude. they don't give medicine, water and food for the sake of so called rules. Military service is a blow to the idea of ​​patriotism. I always sang national anthems (even though I didn't want to). Conscription should be abolished in Turkey and in the world because I don't want to do something I don't want. States that practice conscription are fascist.

Had a similar experience as a Greek, except no officer was rude towards us. Had to use an rusty G3 rifle, hygiene was nonexistent, food was horrible etc. NO monetary compensation either. Compulsory service sucks.

By itself, it's not fascism. It's obviously illiberal to force people to serve in the military, but it doesn't constitute fascism. Even the most democratic and free country may need to have compulsory service to protect its sovereignty.

Unfortunately we live in countries that hate each other, which means unnecessary spending on military hardware and citizens having to serve in the army.

[Bumbaa]

To call millitary service Fascism is a bit extreme, but it's not really my thing. If conditions are okay-ish (its still the millitary) and you are treated with respect, i whouldn't find it a huge problem.
In my country, we have compulsory millitary service, but there is no call for duty. That call is can only be activated if the government and parliament find it neccesary.

I also read somewhere that millitary service does no good for the army, as a large amount of rookie conscripts can't really do anything, and you'll need more millitary personnel to train them. Its better to have an army consisting only of soldiers who do it for the job.

[Oceasia]

I think most countries today don't need conscription for their militaries. Among those that do, some are for understandable reasons. I generally oppose conscription during peacetime and might support it in wartime conditions, but it's not fascism either way.

[Stellar Colonies]

Not necessarily, but it is an invasive intrusion into personal rights, especially when applied unevenly across demographics.

The most generous possible description for it would be a necessary evil to avoid conquest by a hostile invader.

[Corporate Collective Salvation]

No more so than other compulsory aspects of democratic pretenders whose central institution is some species of department of condescending paternity.

[FurryFemboys]

I'm A Republic, Inoffensive Centrist Democracy, Socialist Government that practices Conscription.

[Ifreann]

Fashy vibes, but obviously plenty of countries do compulsory military service without being fascist.

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Hello nation-states family. I just came back from my compulsory military service (3000$). I feel robbed and humiliated.

You have to pay for national service?

Based on a tiny bit of research, there's an option in some circumstances to pay a fee to reduce military service down to just the training instead of the full six months service. Which I imagine for some people can amount to basically a mandatory fee if they can't realistically take six months out of their lives to play soldier.