民兵(militia)
受过一定军事训练的公民的军事组织，在紧急情况下可用於作战，一般用於当地防卫。在许多国家，民兵自古就有。在盎格鲁-撒克逊民族中，每个身强力壮的自由男子都要服兵役。在殖民地时代的美洲，当英国正规军不克抵达时，就靠当地的民兵防御敌对的印第安人。在美国革命中，美军的主力是民兵，被称为义勇兵。民兵在1812年战争和美国南北战争中发挥了同样的作用。美国各州控制的志愿兵变成国民警卫队。美国在近几十年里的民兵组织都是为了抵抗外敌入侵、保卫国家领土的爱国者组成的准军事力量（具有某些合法地位）。他们之中有许多人是受到白人至上主义的影响，有些人则涉及恐怖攻击事件（包括1995年奥克拉荷马州联邦大楼的爆炸事件）。有些人在美国政府的迫害下找到合理的理由。
English version：
militia
Military organization of citizens with limited military training who are available for emergency service, usually for local defense. In many countries the militia is of ancient origin. The Anglo-Saxons required every able-bodied free male to serve. In colonial America, it was the only defense against hostile Indians when regular British forces were not available. In the American Revolution, the militia, called the Minutemen, provided the bulk of the American forces. Militias played a similar role in the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. State-controlled volunteer militias in the U.S. became the National Guard. The U.S. in recent decades has seen a rise in so-called civilian or unorganized militias, paramilitary organizations of uncertain legal status whose members profess to be patriots training to protect the U.S. from threats to its sovereignty from within and without. Many have white-supremacist leanings, and some have been implicated in terrorist attacks (including the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City's federal building). Some find justification for their actions in perceived persecution by the U.S. government.
