TIL that in 1916 there was a proposed Amendment to the US Constitution that would put all acts of war to a national vote, and anyone voting yes would have to register as a volunteer for service in the

I'm pretty sure they just did an end run around this when they knew it wasn't going to work by making the Selective Service Act of 1917, where all men over 18 have to be registered for the draft. I had to sign up for selective service even though the draft no longer exists because they might one day bring it back, especially now they can't meet the recruitment numbers.

Can you imagine what would have happened during WW2 if that had passed? There were a number of Americans sympathetic towards the Nazis, and a much larger number of Americans sympathetic towards the Allies, but not sympathetic enough to risk the lives of their sons, fathers, and husbands. I struggle to see a world where a national vote would have resulted in a large enough majority.

I imagine it would have extended the war by at least another five years. I do think the Nazis would still have lost eventually, as they struggle to maintain control over the entirety of Europe whilst also trying to destroy the UK and Russia. But it would likely have been a Pyrrhic victory, leaving both victors almost completely decimated too.

This doesn't seem particularly useful in the modern day. If you want to win a war today, you do it with highly trained soldiers and highly advanced equipment, not by handing rifles to a bunch of green volunteers or conscripts.