• ComradeMonotreme [she/her, he/him]@hexbear.net
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    5 days ago

    Every right wing nut wants national service, but a factor in many imperial countries dropping it was that it taught basic combat skills to working class people who didn’t necessarily want to be there.

    Like May 1968 ultimately fizzled out in France but a concern at the time was it would turn into a live civil war if protestors, students and unionists etc seized weapons.

    • totalyNOTaPIRATE [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      5 days ago

      Yep. Trotsky era red army was full of ww1 conscripts who jumped to communism because of the shit situation the russian empire was. Jukov for example was one of the conscripted, lower class guys.