This is a prime example of what I was saying before. There'll always be those who will attempt to 'dodge the draft' (not be conscripted) - it ain't new.
It happened in US, France, Germany, UK, Japan... the list goes on... during Vietnam, WWII, WWI ... the list goes on... but the measure is how prolific it is.
Personally, you can tell a lot about the nature and causes of a conflict by measuring the peoples' response, which here is the willingness to absorb the death toll.
While there will be those who do not want to fight and will attempt to evade conscriptions, there are what appears many more who are not acting as so.
Overall, the population as a whole has appeared to 'get on with it', with relatively little protests or complaints. This is soldiers, workers, mothers, children et al.
The UK had strict measures in place in '14 and '39 to stop men fleeing doing their duty, including prison and up to firing squads, so was the issue endemic there?
No, it was merely a measure put in place to ensure the size of the army was suitable and to prevent the minority, rather than the majority, fleeing.
Molehill...mountain...
www.theguardian.com
