Military draft is basically a mandatory enlistment in the armed forces of a country. To ensure there were enough troops available, the U.S. implemented this conscription during the Civil War. Resistance to this draft reached a historic peak when it led to a series of bloody draft riots. The initial war enthusiasm soon vanished in both the South and North, and both sides were compelled to resort to conscription.
Scientists believe that Mashkan-shapir's collapse was caused in part by destruction of the fields by mineral salts. When mineral salts concentrate in the upper levels of the soil, it becomes poisonous for plants. In Mesopotamia, irrigation was essential for crop production.
