Reflections | How China got men to fight wars before the 20th century, and how reluctant soldiers devised ways to dodge the draft
- Recruitment, the institution of military families and conscription were the three main methods Chinese rulers used to supply the regime with military men
- Chinese men wanting to avoid the draft could attempt to bribe conscription officials, or flee to remote areas or other parts of the country
The scenes of young Russian men crowding airports, bus depots, train stations and even land borders to escape conscription put paid to the story certain Russians tell themselves about their nation standing united behind their government’s war with Ukraine.
Some may be objectors who do not buy into the justifications for the invasion of Ukraine that their president Vladimir Putin has spun. Many others simply wish to live, instead of facing the prospect of dying on the battlefield, which, given the large numbers of casualties on both sides, is a highly possible outcome.
Most of us are unwilling to fight in wars that other people started, even if those people claim to speak for us.
Before the 20th century, Chinese rulers had multiple ways of forcing men to fight, but they could be distilled into three main methods.
One solution used to supply the regime with military men was recruitment. Most of these men had been displaced by natural disaster, or lived on society’s margins or had no other means of livelihood. The government provided them with training and housing, and paid them a stipend.
Another method was the institution of military families. Separated from the rest of society, these families were obliged to provide men for hereditary and lifelong military service.
Unlike other commoner families, military families did not have to pay taxes. Many were given land to farm during peacetime, but they would be mobilised to fight when the country went to war.