The History of Compulsory Military Service

The roots of the traditions of the Soviet Army go back to the times of the Imperial Russia. In 1795, after the annexation, the czarist government introduced gruelling 25 years of active service in Lithuania for recruits (which was later reduced). For both rural and urban families of recruits, this conscription was a genuine tragedy. The Imperial Russian Army was grounded on a system characterised by mushtra and physical punishment of soldiers. Punching soldiers in the face was a common method of controlling them.