Militia

A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. The word can have four slightly different meanings:

Related Topics:
Citizen - Paramilitary

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• An official reserve army, composed of non-professional soldiers
• The national police forces in Russia, and other CIS countries, and the Soviet Union: Militsiya
• The entire able-bodied population of a state, which can be called to arms against an invading enemy
• A private, non-government force, not necessarily directly supported or sanctioned by the government

In any of these cases, a militia is distinct from a national regular army. It can serve to supplement the regular military, or it can oppose it, for example to resist a military coup. In some circumstances, the "enemies" against which a militia is mobilized are domestic political opponents of the government, such as strikers. In many cases the role, or even the existence of a militia, is controversial. For these reasons legal restrictions may be placed on the mobilization or use of militia.

Related Topics:
Regular army - Military - Coup - Strikers

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Militia: Germany ►