Siamese coup d'état of 1933

On June 20, 1933, came to a successful, bloodless coup in Siam, now Thailand. Here, a group of younger officers of the middle ranks fell under the command of Lieutenant Colonel and Commander Phibunsongkhram Suphachalasai the incumbent government.

The coup followed a year after the Siamese revolution that had brought the country's transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. By now it was between the former revolutionaries ( " People's Party " ), came to a rift. Prime Minister Phraya Manopakorn had dissolved the parliament and the new constitution partially reset override to prevent the dismissal of his government by liberal forces.

The fact that the military leader of the revolution submitting her resignation, the group of rebels took as an inducement to coup. Reason was the fear for their careers. The commander in chief of the army, Phraya Phahon, was stabilized prime minister and the military rule in Siam.

Situation

The revolution of 1932, which was more than a coup, but actually less than a revolution, had been operated by a heterogeneous amalgamation of various civilian and military factions. She had held together only the common interest in the change of power. These groups fell apart after the coup. The more conservative forces of bureaucracy, which now sat in the reign of Phraya Manopakorn, and senior military 've been happy with the shift of power in their favor. The liberal wing of the People's Party - notably the group led by Pridi Phanomyong - on the other hand aspired to further changes. They wanted to change the social and economic conditions in the country sustainable.

Pridi, who was finance minister after the revolution, had proposed this, in January 1933 an economic plan. He called for the nationalization of all agricultural land, also the country's industrialization and state ownership of the means of production. All Siamese should be to state employees, paid by the government, in case of illness and support in old age and also contribute to the administration. The nationalization of enterprises should not be done by eminent domain, but in exchange for government securities.

The Prime Minister and the conservative wing objected to this plan, as well as King Prajadhipok, as "communist " from. Manopakorns conservatives who controlled the government, then closed the Parliament since they were afraid of being overthrown by the liberals, who constituted the majority in the National Assembly, in a vote of no confidence, and urged Pridi into exile. The Cabinet declared a state of emergency and issued a "law against communist activities", though there was at the time in Siam virtually no communist activities. The scheme was rather directed against the reforms in Pridis economic plan that could be construed as "communist " after deliberately broad interpretation of the law.

The group of the Prime Minister need now only the support of the military to secure its power. However, the four most senior officers of the People's Party filed on June 10, a dismissal of their applications. In this situation, a group of junior officers agreed that they should stage a coup, not a " slowly dying ", so stopped in their careers and to be ousted from power.

Actors

The coup was carried by the younger and lower-ranking officers of the People's Party, even if Colonel Phraya Phahon, leader of the 1932 revolution and reigning supreme commander of the army, most recently - and reluctantly - sat at his peak. The actual planning and execution of the coup which Lt. Colonel Phibunsongkhram ( Contemporary " Luang Phibun " ), the vice commander of the artillery, and Luang Suphachalasai, the vice commander of the Navy conducted.

Motivation

In its explanation for the dismissal of the government, the rebels pointed out that those closed the parliament and constitutional principles had overridden. They said therefore that the coup stand in the " national interest." After the success of the coup, he was declared the victory of constitutionalism on the autocracy.

The coup, however, also be seen against the background of the personal career interests of the coup leaders. The younger participants in the revolution in 1932 threatened by this, to be forced out of the power circle. Colonel Phraya Song, one of the four military leaders of the People's Party had tried several times to put Phibun on a less powerful position than that of the vice- commander of the artillery. He also wanted to send members of the group of younger officers in the People's Party to study abroad in order to reduce their influence. In addition, after the resignations were the four military leaders of the revolution of 1932 their positions with the military who did not belong to the People's Party, has been busy, could become opponents of the younger officers even more. They had to worry about being re- subordinated to the old dignitaries, against which they had rebelled. And they likely would have tried to interrupt their careers.

Result

As a result of the coup a direct military rule was installed. Phraya Phahon, the supreme commander of the army, became Prime Minister. Some members of the group of younger officers were members of the Cabinet. The members of the clique of higher-ranking officers in the People's Party were - not included in the post award - except Phahon. Phibun was promoted abruptly as Deputy Commander in Chief. Pridi Phanomyong allowed to return to Siam and was appointed as Minister of the Interior in the cabinet. After the coup of 1933 was the central role of the military, which had brought the 1932 coup, backed up. It has been the dominant force in the government of the country for the following decades.