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WHAT WAS THE ORIGIN OF MOI MILITARY CONSCRIPTION AND W WERE SOME OF THE EFFECTS? The first military conseription law in the mt sense was passed in Irance in 1798. It prescribr liability of young nuen to serve if required from twenticth to twenty-hfth year of age.. Col. Fredcrick Natusch, C.B., wrotc in the ele edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica (l9l0) : There is perhaps no law on thie statute-books of a nation which has exercised a niore fat-reaching influen on the future of humanity than this little-known Frent act of 1798, introduced by General Jourlan to thc Counc of the 500, for it nas the power thus conferred upen t! French government which alone rendered the Napoicon policy of conquest possible. "I can afford to expend thirty thousand n month!" this boast of Napoleon's, snade to Metterni Schonbraun in 1805, has determined the trend of c from that day forward, not only on the battlenield also in the workshops, and forms even at the presen the chicf guaranice for peace, stability and econ devclopment upon the continent of Europe. (Italics plied.) What had becone of this guaranlee of peac 1914? by 1939? To continue from thc Encyclopedia Brittanica. Tho esscntial imgortance of the event lies in thi that al a critical moment this law, passed by an obscur body of mcn-absolutrly in dehiance of ths opinion oI th grealest reformer that Frunce at that morient had di covered, Carust, and of thic feelinga of a very Jarge pr portion of the who!e community--became pernanent ! the action of causes ett in motion by Napulcon, whic ultimately compelled all Furope to adopt similar legi latiou. Prussia pursued this Napoleonic idea of conseri to its logiral conchusion, and in 180s "definitely afli the priniple of univerral service without distineti class or right of exemption by purchase." Can sn doubt the disastrous resnlis for the world of 123 13]