Militia facts for kids
A militia is a group of people not in the military who do many things that the military does. This includes collecting weapons, training soldiers, defending people or land, policing an area. Militias are often made up of veterans who were once in the military.
Some militias are organized by a government, like the United States National Guard. This is a group of state militias who help with wars, natural disasters and other emergencies. Others are not connected to a government, and may even be illegal. One common definition of a militia includes all men who are able to serve as soldiers.
At the beginning in the late 20th century, some militias acted as professional forces, while still being "part-time" or "on-call" organizations.
Images for kids
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Armenian fedayi were Armenian irregular militia formed in the late 19th and early 20th century to defend Armenian villages.
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Republikanischer Schutzbund was an Austrian militia formed in 1923, one of several militias formed in post-World War I Austria.
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Depiction of the 2nd Regiment of York Militia during the Battle of Queenston Heights. The regiment was one of several Canadian militia units during the War of 1812.
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Uniforms of the Canadian Militia in 1898. The force included the Permanent Active Militia, a full-time professional land force which became the Canadian Army in 1940.
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The Lützow Free Corps during the Napoleonic Wars. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Freikorps referred to volunteer forces that fought against the French.
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The Volkssturm was a national militia formed by Nazi Germany in the last months of World War II.
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Banner of Saint Petersburg militia from Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
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Captain John Smith's 1624 map of the Somers Isles (Bermuda), showing St. George's Town and related fortifications, including the Castle Islands Fortifications with their garrisons of militia infantry and volunteer artillery.
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Members of the United States National Guard undergoing self-defense training. The force was created in 1903 as an organized militia.
See also
In Spanish: Milicia para niños