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What was the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (US)?

Introduction The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, Pub. L. 76–783, 54 Stat. 885, enacted 16 September 1940, was the first peacetime conscription in United States history. This Selective Service Act required that men who had reached their 21st birthday but had not yet reached their 36th birthday… Read More

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An Overview of Neutral Powers during World War II

Introduction The neutral powers were countries that remained neutral during World War II. Some of these countries had large colonies abroad or had great economic power. Spain had just been through its civil war, which ended on 01 April 1939 (five months prior to the invasion of Poland) – a war that involved several countries… Read More

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What is a Line of Actual Control?

Introduction The Line of Actual Control (LAC; refer to Line of Control), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. The concept was introduced by Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in a 1959 letter to Jawaharlal Nehru as the “line up to which each… Read More

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What is a Line of Control?

Introduction The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir – a line which does not constitute a legally recognised international boundary, but serves as the de facto border. It was established as part of the Simla Agreement at… Read More

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An Overview of the Austro-Prussian War (1866)

Introduction The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks’ War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as Deutscher Krieg (“German War”), Deutscher Bruderkrieg (“German war of brothers”) and by a variety of other names, was fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of… Read More

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What Is Meant By ‘Balancing’ in International Relations?

Introduction The concept of balancing derives from the balance of power theory, the most influential theory from the realist school of thought, which assumes that a formation of hegemony in a multistate system is unattainable since hegemony is perceived as a threat by other states, causing them to engage in balancing against a potential hegemon.… Read More