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The Importance Of Conscription

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CONSCRIPTION – IS IT STILL RELEVANT IN SINGAPORE?
Abstract:
The First World War sees the adoption of conscript as a necessary option and countries again relied heavily on conscripts during the Second World War. But since then, several countries have either phased out conscriptions or reduced the duration of compulsory military service. Will Singapore follow the trend of abolishing conscription? When Singapore was separated from Malaysia, defense was one of the top priorities and conscription was the only way for Singapore to build up its defense capabilities quickly. This essay will examine the reasons for the decline in conscription across military in the world and should Singapore follow suit in phasing out conscription.
History of Conscription
1. Military conscription is a practice that dates back from early times. In the ancient Greek city-states, young men were required to serve several years in the citizen militia, while in the Roman Republic, compulsory service in the militia was regarded as a privilege and all male citizens between the ages of 17 and 60 served without pay. Modern conscriptions started during the 17th and 18th centuries and were used by Prussia, Switzerland, Russia, and other European countries. However, it was generally acknowledged that the first comprehensive nationwide conscription was instituted by the French Republic in 1793 during the French Revolutionary War when it raised an army of 300,000 men through national service[1]. Conscripted

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