On the other hand, ending conscription is a vast step away from fascism.

Okay, some context. Firstly, back in the 1950s, capital punishment was legal generally in the west: the United Kingdom executed the last person for murder in 1964, and capital punishment is still legal in the USA even now. Showing capital punishment and saying "it's fascist" is like showing public education and saying…

I think that making the whole military out to be head-bangingly stupid rather undermines the message. If the military was more competent and still losing it would have been more effective.