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The British Volunteer Movement 1794-1814$
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Austin Gee

Print publication date: 2003

Print ISBN-13: 9780199261253

Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2010

DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199261253.001.0001

‘To shield me from all harm’ 1 : The Motivation for Volunteering

Chapter:
(p. 149 ) 5 ‘To shield me from all harm’ 1 : The Motivation for Volunteering
Source:
The British Volunteer Movement 1794-1814
Author(s):

Austin Gee

Publisher:
Oxford University Press
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199261253.003.0006

This chapter examines the motives for volunteering. Volunteering is often interpreted as a patriotic and nationalist response to the defence requirements of the state. However, questions have risen over whether patriotism was the dominant ethos in volunteering, particularly once material rewards became important in the large-scale mobilization of 1803. For many, volunteering involved a decision between military force and a range of non-military options, including insurance clubs and the hiring of a substitute to serve in a balloted force.

Keywords:   volunteer military forces, volunteering, volunteer organizations, patriotism

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