The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon ( th, คณะราษฎร, ), was a Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

, which staged a bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's government and transformed the country's

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

on 24 June 1932.

Background

The Promoters

In 1927, the

Kingdom of Siam Kingdom of Siam may refer to: * Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1351) * Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767) * Thonburi Kingdom (1768–1782) * Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932) * Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and official ...

, the Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932), was under the absolutist rule of the

House of Chakri The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

, under King Prajadhipok, Rama VII. Under his reign, the nation experienced troubles stemming from an archaic government confronted with serious economic problems and threats from abroad, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and French Empires. The country was also experiencing a dramatic social change as the urban and middle classes of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

were starting to grow, slowly demanding more rights from their government, criticizing it as ineffective. These changes were mostly led by men, civilians and military, who had graduated or travelled abroad. They wanted to transform Siam into a modern country along the lines of a Western

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

. In February 1927, a group of seven Siamese students, later known as the "promoters", met at a hotel on the

Rue Du Sommerard The rue des Mathurins-Saint-Jacques, now known as the rue Du Sommerard after Alexandre Du Sommerard, is a street in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, in the Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and founded what would become the People's Party. For five days they met and proposed arguments for and against various aspects of the movement, the men were: :1. Lieutenant

Prayoon Pamornmontri Lieutenant General Prayoon Pamornmontri ( th, ประยูร ภมรมนตรี) was a Thai soldier, politician, and member of ''Khana Ratsadon'' (People's Party). He participated in the Siamese Revolution of 1932 to promote democracy ...

( th, ร.ท. ประยูร ภมรมนตรี), Army officer, formerly of

King Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his effort ...

's Royal Guards :2. Lieutenant Plaek Khittasangkha ( th, ร.ท. แปลก ขีตตะสังคะ), later Luang Phibulsonggram, Army officer, student, School of Applied Artillery, France :3. Lieutenant Thatsanai Mitphakdi ( th, ร.ต. ทัศนัย มิตรภักดี), Army officer, student, French Cavalry Academy :4.

Tua Lophanukrom Tua may refer to: * Tua River, a river in Portugal * Tua (Papua New Guinea), a river in Papua New Guinea * Tuʻa, also known as Alo, a chiefdom in Wallis and Futuna in Oceania * Tua line, a railway line in Portugal * Tua railway station, in Portug ...

( th, ตั้ว ลพานุกรม), scientist studying in Switzerland :5. Luang Siriratchamaitri ( th, หลวงสิริราชไมตรี), diplomat, officer at the Siamese Embassy in Paris :6.

Naep Phahonyothin The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the ...

( th, แนบ พหลโยธิน), law student studying in England :7.

Pridi Banomyong Pridi Banomyong ( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์, , ; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham ( th, หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม) was a Thai politician and professo ...

( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์), law student studying at the

Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

Six principles

The revolutionaries made Pridi Panomyong their

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and termed themselves the "promoters" ( th, ผู้ก่อการ; ). The party determined a sixfold objective which was later called the "Six Principles" ( th, หลักหกประการ; ), as follows: :1. To maintain the

supreme power The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previous ...

of the Thai people. :2. To maintain national security. :3. To maintain the economic

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

of the Thai people in accordance with the National Economic Project. :4. To protect the

equality Equality may refer to: Society * Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing ** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elit ...

of the Thai people. :5. To maintain the people's

rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory ...

and liberties, insofar as they are not inconsistent with any of the above-mentioned principles. :6. To provide public education for all citizens. To achieve these goals, the party determined that they must overthrow, using force if necessary, the present government and the system of

and turn the

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

into a modern

. Most of the members were students educated abroad, mostly in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. When the group returned to Siam, they enlisted members from among the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, the merchant class, civil servants and others. Their membership eventually reached 102, separated into four main branches. These included the

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

s, led by

; the navy, led by

Luang Sinthusongkhramchai Luang may refer to: *Luang (title), a Thai noble title *Luang Island, an island in the southwestern part of the Maluku Province, Indonesia *Luang language Luang, also known as (Letri Lgona), is an Austronesian language spoken in the Leti Isl ...

; the junior army officers, led by Major Phibulsonggram; and finally the senior officers, led by Colonel

Phot Phahonyothin Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena, (29 March 1887 – 14 February 1947) (short form: Phraya Phahon), born as Phot Phahonyothin, was a Thai military leader and politician. He became the second prime minister of Siam in 1933 after ousting his pr ...

Legacy

The party was eventually successful in their goal of

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

by bloodless coup. By 1933 they had turned Siam into a single party state. However the party itself was short-lived, due to infighting as the party had too many factions, conflicting interests, and political beliefs. The party eventually divided into two factions, a civilian faction led by Pridi Bhanomyong, and a military faction led by Marshal Pibulsongkram. They would dominate

Thai politics Until 22 May 2014, the politics of Thailand were conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the prime minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. The judiciary is independent of the ex ...

for the next two decades, producing six Prime Ministers of Thailand from their ranks. The party declined at about the time the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

ended. As the party lost power, subsequent governments attempted to downplay their significance and erase their legacy. Part of this was accomplished through the removal of architecture associated with the party, most significantly beginning with the demolition of Sala Chaloem Thai in 1989. This movement intensified in the 2010s; the Supreme Court building controversially demolished in 2013, and following the 2014 coup, multiple landmarks became quietly removed without explanation. On the 88th anniversary of the revolution in 2020, the

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

news service identified six historical markers memorialising the People's Party and the events of 1932 which have been removed or renamed over the previous year. In most cases it is not known who is responsible. Some historians, such as Chatri Prakitnonthakan of

Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name S ...

, interpreted these removals as an attempted "ideological cleansing" by the conservative establishment. A memorial plaque honoring the 1932 Revolution was reported missing on 14 April 2017. It was thought to be stolen on 5 April and was replaced with another plaque with text praising the Chakri Dynasty. , no one has taken responsibility for the theft. The 1932 Revolution brass plaque, about 30 centimeters across, was embedded in the asphalt of the Royal Plaza, less than 10 meters from the equestrian statue depicting King Rama V. The site is where the revolt took place on 24 June 1932. Here, a declaration condemning absolute monarchy was read. Press reports noted that ultraroyalist groups had threatened to remove the plaque in the months preceding its theft. A Royal Thai Army artillery base in Lopburi Province bore the name of General Phraya Phahon until 2019 when, at the order of the current king, Vajiralongkorn, it was renamed King

Bhumibol Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

base. Long-standing statues of Phraya Phahon and Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram installed at the base are to be removed and replaced by a statue of King Bhumibol. Public perception and discourse over the party's legacy has also fluctuated over time. Their role in establishing a constitutional monarchy was glossed over by school textbooks, and rhetoric dismissing the party's actions as premature was popularized. Such ideas were reignited in the 2010s, as ideological conflicts over democracy and the monarchy intensified. Conservative writers demonized the People's Party as republicans. This led to a reactionary response by liberal groups. During the 2020 protests, youth protesters symbolically installed a new plaque in Sanam Luang, and a group leading the protest movement called themselves "Khana Ratsadon 2563" (People's Party 2020).

Members

The members of the People's Party were a mix of both military officers and civilians. Lieutenant Krachang Tularak was its last surviving member. He died on 24 June 2009 at the age of 98.Prachathai
the Last Member of Khana Ratsadon dead
24 June 2009

Military faction

Army faction

# Colonel Phahon Phonphayuhasena (Phot Phahonyothin), the Head of the military faction and leader of Khana Ratsadon # Phraya Songsuradet (Deva Bandhumasena) # Phraya Ritthiakhaney (Sala Emasiri) # Phra Phrasasphithayayut (Wan Choothin) # Major Luang Phibulsonggram (Plaek Khittasangkha) # Captain Luang Chamnanyutthasin (Choei Rayanan) # Captain Luang Katsongkhram (Thian Kengradomying) # Captain Luang Kriangsakphichit (Khuan Chittakhun) # Captain Luang Chansongkhram (Phan Chalichan) # Captain Luang Chawengsaksongkhram (Chuang Khwanchoet) # Captain Luang Thatsanainiyomsuek (Thatsanai Mittraphakdi) # Captain Luang Phromyothi (Mangkon Phonchiwin) # Captain Luang Ronnasitthiphichai (Chuea Kanchanaphinthu) # Captain Luang Sawatronnarong (Sawat Darasawat) # Captain Luang Seriroengrit (Charun Rattanakun) # Captain Luang Aduldejcharat (Bat Phuengphrakhun) # Lieutenant Khun Sucharitronnakan (Phong Nakhanut) # Lieutenant Khun Chamnongphummiwet (Chamnong Siwaphaet) # Lieutenant Khun Nirandonchai (Sawek Nilanchai) # Lieutenant Khun Phiphatsorakan (Theng Phatthanasiri) # Lieutenant Khun Plotporapak (Plot Phanusawa) # Lieutenant Khun Rueangwirayut (Bunrueang Wirahong) # Lieutenant Khun Wimonsorakit (Wimon Kengrian) # Lieutenant Khun Sisarakon (Chalo Sithanakon) # Lieutenant Chai Prathipasen # Lieutenant Thuan Wichaikhatthakha # Lieutenant Nom Ketunuti # Minor Lieutenant Charun Chittralak # Minor Lieutenant Saman Thephatsadin Na Ayutthaya # Minor Lieutenant Udom Phutthikasetarin # Major Luang Wichakkonlayut (Sian Susin)

Navy faction

# Group Commander

(Sin Kamalanavin) # Lieutenant Commander Luang Supachalasai (Bung Supachalasai) # Senior Lieutenant Luang Thamrongnawasawat (Thawan Tharisawat) # Senior Lieutenant Luang Sangworayutthakit (Sangson Suwannachip) # Senior Lieutenant Luang Nithetkonlakit (Klang Rotchanasena) # Senior Lieutenant Luang Nawawichit (Phan Amphaiwan) # Senior Lieutenant Sa-nguan Ruchirapha # Senior Lieutenant Sa-ngop Charunphon # Senior Lieutenant Chalit Kunkamthon # Junior Lieutenant Thonglo Khamhiran # Junior Lieutenant Chip Siriphaibun # Junior Lieutenant Prasoet Suksamai # Junior Lieutenant Wan Ruyuphon # Ensign Chan Ratsamithat # Ensign Thongdi Ra-ngapphai # Chamrat Suwannachip

Civil faction

# Luang Praditmanutham (Pridi Phanomyong), the head of the civil faction and vice leader of Khana Ratsadon # Luang Sirirajmaitree (Charun Singhaseni) # Luang Kowit-aphaiwong (Khuang Aphaiwong) # Luang Naruebetmanit (Sa-nguan Chuthatemi) # Luang Chamnanitikaset (Uthai Saengmani) # Luang Atthasanraprasit (Thongyen Lilamia) # Luang Atthakitikamchon (Klueng Phahomyonh) # Luang Sunthonthephatsadin (Saphrang Thephatsadin Na Ayutthaya) # Luang Dechatiwongwarawat (M.L. Kri Dechatiwong) # Tua Laphanukrom # Prachuap Bunnak # M.L. Udom Sanitwong # Naep Phahonlayothin # Thawee Boonyaket # Junior Lieutenant

# Wilat Osathanon # Charun Suepsaeng # Leng Sisonwong #

Direk Jayanama Direk Jayanama (, ; January 18, 1905 – May 1, 1967) was a Thai diplomat and politician. He was one of the civilian Promoters of the Siamese Revolution of 1932 that changed the country's form of government from absolute to constitutional mo ...

# Wichian Suwannathat # Chun Pinthanon # Sawat Sotthithat # Chittasen Pancha # Yong Phonlabun # Ek Supphapodok # Surin Chinothai # Siri Chatinan # Chaliao Pathummarot # Banchong Sicharun # Prasoet Sicharun # Chaeng Muttafa # Karim Sicharun # Sa-nguan Tularak # Sim Wirawaithaya # Nguan Thongprasoet # Pramot Phuengsunthon # Charoen Pantharo # Thongpleo Chonlaphum # Phadoem Angsuwat # Chup Salayachiwin # Klin Thephatsadin Na Ayutthaya # Son Bunchung # Yon Samananon # Yin Samananon # Police Lieutenant Choei Kalanchai # Police Lieutenant Thiang Chaloemsak

References

Bibliography

External links

{{History of Thailand 1932 - 1973 Political history of Thailand Defunct political parties in Thailand Thai democracy movements Political parties established in 1927 1927 establishments in Siam Siamese revolution of 1932