Background Thailand, formerly known as Siam, was at the time one of few independent countries in Asia. However, the country was also struggling to modernize. Under
absolute monarchy, the government was plagued by incompetence. Government service was lacking, poverty was high and even government official positions were fraught with
glass ceilings. Thai culture was rooted in the idea that the country belonged to the monarch. Absolute monarchy was only ended by the
1932 Revolution carried out by
Khana Ratsadon on 24 June 1932, and Thailand was still struggling to set up a modern government. The civilian government set up by the Khana Ratsadon was embroiled in conflict with old conservative factions, and the new system of democracy was short lived. In April 1933, the first prime minister
Phraya Manopakorn Nitithada dissolved the parliament and suspended the judiciary in
a coup. His government then began to adopt more monarchist and conservative policies. It was in this era that Thailand saw its first
anti-communist legislation passed, which would later be used by various governments to silence political opponents. The generals of Khana Ratsadon launched
a second coup in June to regain power. This new government headed by
Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena would attempt to carry out elections and follow the constitution. His government would also see
a civil war that killed 17 members of the government force and an unknown amount of rebel forces. The end of this conflict saw the military promote themselves as the protector of democracy. Under the Phraya Phahon government, the parliament saw its first elected representatives, lasted its entire four-year term, and was succeeded by another elected parliament. Prime Minister Phraya Phahon left office on 13 December 1938, citing that the military should not be running the country and his health problems. He was succeeded by
Plaek Phibunsongkhram. Under Phibun, Thailand saw a decline in democracy.
Military dictatorship Prior to Phibun's premiership, the Thai military led by Phibun as
defence minister, and the civilian liberals led by
Pridi Banomyong as foreign minister, worked together harmoniously for several years, but when Phibun became prime minister in December 1938 this co-operation broke down, and military domination became more overt. His regime soon developed some
fascist characteristics. In early 1939
forty political opponents, both monarchists and democrats, were arrested, and after rigged trials eighteen were executed, the first political executions in Siam in over a century. Many others, among them Prince
Damrong Rajanubhab and
Phraya Songsuradet, were exiled. Phibun launched a
demagogic campaign against the Chinese business class. Chinese schools and newspapers were closed, and taxes on Chinese businesses increased. {{multiple image Phibun and
Luang Wichitwathakan, the government's ideological spokesman, copied the
propaganda techniques used by
Adolf Hitler and
Benito Mussolini to build up the cult of the leader. Aware of the power of
mass media, they used the government's monopoly on radio broadcasting to shape popular support for the regime. Popular government slogans were constantly aired on the radio and plastered on newspapers and billboards. Phibun's picture was also to be seen everywhere in society, while portraits of the ex-monarch
King Prajadhipok, an outspoken critic of the autocratic regime, were banned. At the same time Phibun passed a number of authoritarian laws which gave the government the power of almost unlimited arrest and complete press censorship. During the Second World War, newspapers were instructed to print only good news emanating from
Axis sources, while sarcastic comments about the internal situation were banned. On 23 June 1939, Phibun changed the country's name from
Siam to
Thailand, said to mean "land of the free". This was directed against the ethnic diversity in the country (Malay, Chinese, Lao, Shan, etc.) and is based on the idea of a "Thai race", a
Pan-Thai nationalism whose policy is the integration of the
Shan, the
Lao and other
Tai peoples, such as
Vietnam, Burma and South China, into a
"Great Kingdom of Thailand" () Modernisation was also an important theme in Phibun's new
Thai nationalism. From 1939 to 1942 he issued a set of twelve
Cultural Mandates. In addition to requiring that all Thais salute the
flag, sing the
national anthem, and speak the national language, the mandates also encouraged Thais to work hard, stay informed on current events, and to dress in a Western fashion. The mandates caused performances of
traditional Thai music, dance, theatre and culture to be abolished, and changed into Western style. Meanwhile, all cinemas were instructed to display Phibun's picture at the end of every performance as if it were the king's portrait, and the audience were expected to rise and bow. Phibun also called himself
The Leader, in a bid to create a
personality cult.
Thai-Japan naval co-operation The
Royal Thai Navy contracted the Japanese
Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation of Kobe and
Mitsubishi to construct
coastal defence ships and
submarines.
Thai Invasion of French-Indochina (1940–1941) At the start of World War II, Phibun shared many of his countrymen's admiration of fascism and the rapid pace of national development it seemed to afford. Seeking support against
France, Phibun cultivated closer relations with
Japan. Although the Thais were united in their demand for the return of the lost provinces, Phibun's enthusiasm for the Japanese was markedly greater than that of
Pridi Banomyong, and many old conservatives as well viewed the course of the prime minister's foreign policy with misgivings.
Adoption of neutrality After the Franco-Thai War, Phibun compromised with Pridi, and the Thai government adopted a policy of
neutrality. Pridi himself sponsored production of a Thai
historical drama film,
The King of the White Elephant. The film carried a
propaganda message from
anti-war interests in Thailand: Thailand should remain neutral, only going to war to defend its sovereignty against foreign invaders.
War comes to Thailand Phibun and the Thai government were still hesitant to join the Allies or the Japanese. At 23:00 on 7 December, the Japanese presented the Thai government with an ultimatum to allow the Japanese military to enter Thailand for Malaya and Burma campaign. The Thais were given two hours to respond, but the Thai government did not have any response. After the expiration of the ultimatum, On 8 December 1941, less than four hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan invaded Thailand. Phibun assured the country that the Japanese action was pre-arranged with a sympathetic Thai government. Thailand acceded to Japanese demands for passage through the country for Japanese forces invading
Burma and
Malaya.
Contrast of Thai and Japanese policy After the Thai government declared war on the
United Kingdom and the
United States on 25 January 1942, Although the Thai ambassador in London delivered Phibun's declaration of war to the British government, the Thai ambassador in
Washington, D.C.,
Seni Pramoj, refused to do so. Accordingly, the United States did not declare war on Thailand. With American assistance, Seni, a conservative aristocrat with well established anti-Japanese credentials, organised the
Free Thai Movement in the United States, recruiting Thai students to work with the United States
Office of Strategic Services (OSS). soldiers wearing
Adrian helmets, moving artillery in Burma, 1943. , 1943.
Thai forces enter Burma The leading elements of the Thai
Phayap Army under General
J. R. Seriroengrit crossed the border into the Shan States on 10 May 1942. Three Thai infantry division and one cavalry division, spearheaded by armoured reconnaissance groups and supported by the
Royal Thai Air Force, engaged the retreating Chinese 93rd Division from
Shan State.
Kengtung, the main objective, was captured on 27 May. On 12 July, General
Phin Choonhavan (who would become the Thai military governor of the
occupied Shan State later in the war) ordered the 3rd Division of the Phayap Army from the southern part of the Shan State to occupy
Karenni State and expel the Chinese 55th Division from
Loikaw. The Chinese troops could not retreat because the routes to Yunnan were controlled by Axis forces and many Chinese soldiers were captured. The Thais remained in control of the Shan States for the remainder of the war. Their troops suffered from supply shortages and disease, but were not subjected to Allied attacks.
Bangkok floods In September 1942, there was a long rainy season in Northern, Northeastern and Central regions of Thailand, causing great floods in many provinces, including Bangkok. In Bangkok, the major flooding was recorded as having effects on the city's infrastructure lasting three months. With the floods, many agricultural areas were flooded, especially the rice fields, which caused a serious shortage of rice. The Thai government decided to encourage people to eat noodles instead.
"Pad Thai," the famous dish, was also introduced at that time. Although the majority of Thais were initially "intoxicated" with Japan's string of brilliant victories in early 1942, by the end of the year there was widespread resentment as a result of arrogant Japanese behaviour and war-induced privation. The other Japanese intention was to help defend Thailand, Nakamura expected that it could defend against a possible invasion by the Allies from Burma. This more conciliatory stance occurred at a moment when the tide began to turn against Japan, something which many within the Thai government recognised. Realising that the Allies had seized the initiative in the war, Phibun, well aware of his predicament, distanced himself from the Japanese. But the prime minister's star was waning at a much faster rate than he had thought. With the Allies intensifying their bombing raids on Bangkok, public confidence in Phibun, already tested by his idiosyncratic domestic policies, was waning fast. His frequent absence from Bangkok led morale to plummet, while a sudden proclamation that the capital and its inhabitants immediately be moved north to malaria-infested
Phetchabun was greeted with near-universal bemusement and discontent. The kingdom's ruling elite was becoming increasingly weary of Phibun, whose intimidation and demotion of dissenters within the government served to further unite his opponents, who were rallying to Pridi. Coinciding with Phibun's efforts to distance himself from the Japanese, the
Allied Invasion of Italy and the downfall of
Benito Mussolini sent shock waves through the Thai government, and an emergency cabinet meeting was convened to discuss the European situation. Pridi had to take into consideration that the Japanese were building up their forces in Thailand, which was likely to become a battlefront in the near future. Previously most Japanese soldiers stationed in Thailand had been support troops, but in December 1944 the local command had been upgraded from garrison status to a field army. The Japanese were gathering supplies and constructing fortifications for a last-ditch defensive effort at
Nakhon Nayok, about 100 kilometres northeast of Bangkok. By the beginning of 1945, preparations were actively being pursued for a rising against the Japanese. Plans for an uprising relied on the success of a quick, surprise strike by a special police unit against the Japanese command structure. The residences of leading officers and the Japanese communications facilities were kept under surveillance. The police assault was to be coordinated with a general attack by the partly mechanised Thai 1st Army against Japanese troops in Bangkok. Fortifications, in the guise of air raid shelters, had been dug at key crossroads, and additional troops had been brought into the city in small groups in civilian clothing. The task of Free Thai forces elsewhere would be to thwart Japanese efforts to reinforce their Bangkok garrison by cutting communications lines and seizing airfields.
Thai annexed territories and
Laos annexed by Thailand (1941–1946) '' map (1942–1945) and claims of Thailand in
British Burma , Parts of
British Malaya annexed by Thailand (1943–1945) The following territories of
Burma,
Laos,
Cambodia and
Malaya were annexed by Thailand during World War II. The Thai army would remain in these territories until the end of the war. •
Saharat Thai Doem (Burma), including Mueang Phan District. It did not include, however, the two districts of Möngmaü and Mehsakun of
Mawkmai of the southern
Shan States, nor part of
Kandarawadi in the
Karenni States, all east of the Salween River, which although claimed by Thailand, were assigned by the Japanese to their client
State of Burma in September 1943. •
Si Rat Malai (Malaysia), including
Syburi (Kedah State). •
Lan Chang province (Laos) •
Nakhon Champassak province (Laos and Cambodia) •
Phra Tabong province (Cambodia) •
Phibunsongkhram province (Cambodia) Following the fall of the Phibun government in August 1944, the new government of
Khuang Aphaiwong communicated to the British government that it renounced all claims to the Shan states and northern Malaya, and that it would immediately cede the territories to Britain. The Churchill government did not accept the Thai overture, and was prepared to retaliate. The Thai army evacuated the two Shan states only in August 1945. Thailand was still allied with Japan when the war ended, but the United States proposed a solution. In 1946 Thailand agreed to cede the territories regained during Japanese presence in the country as the price for admission to the
United Nations, consequently all wartime claims against Thailand were dropped and the country received a substantial package of U.S. aid. Following this event, all the Thai-occupied territories
returned to their pre-war status and became again part of the states from which they were annexed.
Post-war regiment supervises Japanese prisoners at Bangkok railway station September 1945 When the German Wehrmacht surrendered in May 1945, a German envoy was still in Bangkok. The atomic bombings and subsequent Japanese surrender precluded the uprising, however. Pridi immediately issued a declaration stating that Phibun's 1942 declaration of war was unconstitutional and legally void, thereby dispensing any need for Thailand to surrender. The Thai armed forces initially attempted to disarm the Japanese garrison, but Nakamura refused, arguing that the matter was for the Allies to decide. Khuang in the meanwhile resigned, citing his previous association with the Japanese as a possible obstacle to Thailand's reapprochement with the Allies. A caretaker premier was found in
Thawi Bunyaket, a Pridi loyalist. In early September the leading elements of Major-General
Geoffrey Charles Evans's
Indian 7th Infantry Division landed, accompanied by
Edwina Mountbatten. Later that month Seni returned from Washington to succeed Tawee as prime minister. It was the first time in over a decade that the government was controlled by civilians. But the ensuing factional scramble for power in late 1945 created political divisions in the ranks of the civilian leaders that destroyed their potential for making a common stand against the resurgent political force of the military in the post-war years. Moreover, the post-war accommodations with the Allies weakened the civilian government. As a result of the contributions made to the Allied war efforts by the Free Thai Movement, the United States refrained from dealing with Thailand as an enemy country in post-war peace negotiations. Before signing a peace treaty, however, Britain demanded war reparations in the form of rice shipments to Malaya. An
Anglo-Thai Peace Treaty was signed on 1 January 1946, and an
Australian–Thai Peace Treaty on 3 April. France refused to permit admission of Thailand to the
United Nations until Indochinese territories annexed during the war were returned. The
Soviet Union insisted on the repeal of anti-communist legislation. ==See also==