De dienstplicht in België historisch bekeken: Een politieke en militaire evolutie (1830-2010)

The evolution of compulsory military service in Belgium has a turbulent history. When the French introduced the militia service with drawing lots and the possibility of being replaced in 1798 in the area that now constitutes Belgium, this "blood tax" encountered heavy resistance, even resulting in a peasant revolt. The system was kept unchanged during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-1830) and even used after the Belgian independence. To lessen resistance, the numbers, years of service and exemptions were adjusted. Despite a long struggle during virtually the entire reign of king Leopold II to introduce generalized personal military service after the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, this would only happen just before the First World War. Finally it was introduced under socialist pressure. After the two world wars and the introduction of universal suffrage the duration of military service became an electoral weapon that clearly illustrated the general Belgian aversion for the military. During the Korean War, both the effectives of the Belgian army in peacetime and the service time peaked. Thereafter service time gradually decreased (with some exceptions), mainly due to political advance bidding. The larger impact of more technically advanced weaponry and the ensuing professionalization of warfare continued to put the compulsory military service under pressure. The end of the Cold War and the beginning of Belgian involvement in peacekeeping missions at the beginning of the 1990s, increasingly questioned the status of conscripts. In 1993 the compulsory military service was eventually suspended and the switch was made towards a professional army. In 2010, to compensate for manpower gaps in combat units, a voluntary military service has been introduced.