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it is surprising to observe the existence of an unexplored and little-noted factor that is
common to so many Americans.
Of those who have discussed the military from a social science perspective, the
implications for politics are unclear. For instance, some have argued that military service
produces better citizens, while others worry that military service may be associated with
authoritarian attitudes that are problematic in a democracy. This has been the subject of
debate among social scientists since the end of World War II, and it has implications for
voter turnout as well as how the mobilized veteran may vote.
On the optimistic side, Cohen (1985, 122) viewed military service as “a rite of
passage by which one both learns and earns citizenship.” Hays (1967, 19) predicted that
“the abandonment of the requirement for the citizen to perform military service would
have far-reaching effects in degrading social solidarity and patriotic commitment.”
Others have argued that under some circumstances, military service may actually
lead to the degeneration of civic commitment. The President’s Commission on an All-
Volunteer Force (1970, 13) argued that “compelling service through a draft undermines
respect for government by forcing an individual to serve when and in the manner the
government decides, regardless of his own values and talents” (13).
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Christie (1952), in his study of World War II veterans, found that veterans were
slightly more likely to have authoritarian attitudes than did non-veterans – an important
item of concern for a democracy. Other scholars from this period found no either
differences or reduced levels of authoritarianism among veterans (Campbell and
McCormack 1957; Firestone 1959; French and Ernest 1955). Studies from the 1970s,
both in America and Germany, found little consistent evidence of authoritarian attitudes
Convention