The French Foreign Legion turned occasional efforts to hire foreign forces into a permanent recruiting institution. It long drew heavily from Irish and Spanish volunteers, alongside substantial Italian and German contingents. By the time of the lecture, its recruiting pool had become much more global. The institution shows how a state can turn foreign military service from an improvised wartime expedient into an enduring organisation.
Notable Point · 3:00:00-3:00:49
The French Foreign Legion institutionalises overseas recruitment
The closing aside describes the French Foreign Legion as a standing mechanism for recruiting foreign manpower and notes how its recruiting base broadened over time.