EVOLUTION OF CITIZENS’ CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN THE PROCESS OF EXPANDING MILITARY DUTY AND INVOLVING THE POPULATION IN WARS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32689/3083-7359.2026.2.9Keywords:
constitutional rights, military duty, citizenship, suffrage, mass mobilization, warAbstract
The article examines the relationship between the development of military duty, mass involvement of citizens in wars and the gradual expansion of constitutional rights, especially suffrage and the right to participate in public affairs. The study is based on an approach in which war is considered not only as a military and political event, but also as a factor that changes the legal understanding of citizenship, representation and the limits of state authority. It is substantiated that the constitutional state developed through the philosophy of natural rights, parliamentarism and liberal revolutions, but also through a practical political and legal exchange. The state demanded taxes, discipline, military service, mobilization, work in the rear and readiness to defend the political community. In response, citizens increasingly demanded representation, voting rights, social guarantees, equality before the law and recognition of their role in forming the will of the state. The article shows that war did not automatically generate democracy, because mass mobilization could also strengthen authoritarianism and militarization. However, it sharply raised the issue of legitimacy, civic duty and the fair scope of constitutional rights. The results may be used in constitutional law research, in the development of legal policy regarding veterans, military personnel and civic participation, and in discussions on the post-war renewal of the social contract in Ukraine.
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