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Modern Polities in Thailand
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2009
Extract
The seizure of the government by Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat in September, 1957, was more than the assumption of political power by another military leader in Thailand, and the overthrow of the former regime headed by Field Marshal Phibun Songkhram marked a definite turning point in the evolution of the Thai political system. After experimenting with constitutional democracy for almost twenty-five years, Thailand turned to a new form of political rule. The purpose of this article is to survey briefly the development of the Thai political system since the beginning of the constitutional regime in June, 1932, and to assess the present trend of the Sarit government in a country where military officers have long played a pre-eminent role in the political life of the nation.
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- Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1962
References
1 The name of Phibun Songkhram is also spelled Pibul Songgram or Pibun Songkram in some English language sources. The spelling used in this article is that closest to the phonetic pronunciation.
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38 Ibid., March 12, 1959.
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42 Ibid., March 23, 1959.
43 Ibid., March 10, 1959, citing Thanad's address to the American Association of Thailand entitled “A New Era For Thailand.”
44 Ibid., February 13, 1959.
45 Ibid., December 11, 1959.
46 New York Times, November 3, 1960.
47 Ibid., March 27, 1961.
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