Abstract
Universal Conscription in Tsarist Russia: Between Military Demands and Civil Interests
Universal conscription was introduced in Russia in 1874 and completed the »Great Reforms» which had been started in 1861. After controversial debates war minister Dmitrij Alekseevič Miljutin wanted conscription to have as little effects as possible on civil life in the world's largest country, in order to prevent social unrest. A system of exemptions was applied to recruits considered to be indispensable in civil life. Any education obtained before mustering automatically reduced the duration of military service. In general, the conscription law made no exemptions for recruits of non-Russian or non-Orthodox origin. The principle of moving soldiers far away from their home towns and the ratio of 75% Russians and 25% non-Russians in the composition of military units were intended to respond to the army's multiethnic character. However, Jewish recruits suffered from systematic discrimination. Although Russia's imperial status was primarily based on its military power, universal conscription never included more than 30% of the annual number of potential recruits. Despite Miljutin's reform attempts, the fatal belief in the power of the seemingly inexhaustible human resources overshadowed all necessary reforms until the end of the Tsarist regime.
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