Countries currently involved in active warfare - Ukraine, Russia, and Israel most prominently - have launched intense mobilisation campaigns to expand their armies. This column examines what compels ordinary men and women to fight. Felipe Carozzi, Edward Pinchbeck and Luca Repetto study how the memorialisation of British soldiers who died in WWI affected civic capital in the communities they came from, and whether that spirit shaped the behaviour of soldiers in WWII. Subsequent generations of soldiers from those communities were more likely to also give their lives in battle, and to be commended with military honours.

---

20 January 2024

---

Vox EU

---

https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/experience-war-shapes-communities-and-future-wars

This Blog is published under the centre's Urban programme.