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Do we have them? Because Voldemort's seemed pretty chaotic, if you ask me. Is there any references to wizards actually making armies like the US and British ones? And if they did, would they be Ministry/Government commanded?
And sorry to be a real pain, but say they were Ministry commanded. Would there be rules on when you could leave and who could join and all that? And would the ranks be the same as Muggle armies?
Thank you!
Kristen x
Do we have them? Because Voldemort's seemed pretty chaotic, if you ask me. Is there any references to wizards actually making armies like the US and British ones? And if they did, would they be Ministry/Government commanded?
I don't think the Ministry had any army, other than their team of Aurors. In OOTP, Fudge was paranoid that Dumbledore was building his own army (which he wasn't) and Luna suggests that the Ministry has an army of mythical creatures (which it didn't). Both of those references seem to me to point that the Ministry has no army of it's own, and the idea of another Wizard building his own would be frowned upon and stopped.
And about Voldemorts army, I don't think it was so much an army as a devoted band of followers, who recruited dementors and giants, and did the Imperius on people to make them help out. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I feel like there wasn't any leadership other than Voldemort (no commanders like in Muggle armys).
And sorry to be a real pain, but say they were Ministry commanded. Would there be rules on when you could leave and who could join and all that? And would the ranks be the same as Muggle armies?
Well, with the Auror department, you have to take a test and all, and go through years of training to be accepted. Once you're in, I'm sure it's like any other job, you have to get permission to go on leave, or whatever. Though like in an army, it's probably quite a bit harder to get leave during war than during peace time.
And no, I don't think there were ranks in the Auror department, I think there was the head, and probably his assistant or two, but I think all leadership came from him. If there was a specific case, maybe an Auror would be appointed to head that section up (like Kinglsey was in charge of the hunt for Sirius) but I don't think that that person would have a permanent title like Captain or whatever.
Hope this helped!
I just wanted to let you know there has been a similar discution before, which can be found here. You'll probably find it intresting.
Good luck.
MvH Johan
I am going to say 'no' to 'real' armies like we have in the world today because, simply, there aren't enough wizards around to really make a large, standing army. Voldemort's followers really *aren't* an army, per say. They probably started off as a band of 'out law' type people following their cult-like leader. Then, as Voldemort's following grew, they progressed into a larger group of people. Among that larger group, there is varying levels of dedication, class, and ability. Voldemort seems to pick his 'inner circle' through these criteria, but there are no special rank names given outside of the term 'Death Eater' and the Dark Mark.Quote:
Do we have them? Because Voldemort's seemed pretty chaotic, if you ask me. Is there any references to wizards actually making armies like the US and British ones? And if they did, would they be Ministry/Government commanded?
The Order actually seems to follow this trend, too. In organization, the Order and Voldemort's army seem very similiar, but the Order seems less organized than the Death Eaters do, actually. So, I would say that the Death Eaters and the Order members do not constitute a standing army, in the modern sense of the term.
As for the Ministry, I'll agree that the Aurors are more like police than soldiers. Once again, Fudge is paranoid Dumbledore is raising an army, which implies that the Ministry doesn't really have an army. I think the Death Eaters probably represent the closest thing that the wizarding world has seen to a standing army.