ABSTRACT
During the years 1865-1875, the combined impact of two factors brought about a radical transformation of the French system of military manpower recruitment. Firstly, there was the revolution in the norms of war which occurred during the 19th century. Secondly, and even more importantly, there was the state of tension, from 1865 to 1914, between France and Germany elevating questions of war and military structures into an issue of decisive importance. In consequence, conscripted military service attained the status of a 'republican institution'. The elevation of military service to an unbreakable 'republican institution', a system no more to be thought of in anything other than universal terms and seen as entailing an equal duration for all draftees, also proved successful in terms of functionality. And mainly because the play regarding the terms of duty allowed for the continued adaptation of military service to the changing needs of military manpower, the system remained by and large unaltered until the Algerian War.
