Phibunsonggram (01).

Phibunsonggram (01)

In December 1938 Colonel Phibunsonggram assumed office as Prime Minister in succession to Phaya Phahol. The removal of the latter’s moderating influence opened the way for an intensification of a nationalism and for the growth of dictatorship.

Phibunsonggram

Besides the Premiership, Phibunsonggram also held the portfolios of Defense and Interior. These two posts as well as that of Army Commander-in-Chief assured him of close control over the armed forces and all provincial governors and national police.

Subsequently in June 1939 he took over the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs from Sri Dharmadhibes.

Phibunsonggram(02

Phibunsonggram(02)

Although Phibunsonggram chose Direk Jayanam, an able diplomat, to be his deputy minister Phibunsonggram was in fact the actual decision-maker in foreign affairs. His deputy was relegated to the role of a mere administrator.

Direk Jayanam

Within the Cabinet, Phibunsonggram sometimes only communicated his decisions for approval after he had taken action on them. 

In a number of instances, more especially within the domain of foreign policy, he conducted negotiations of great importance in secrecy and without notifying his Cabinet colleagues.

In domestic policy, Phibunsonggram employed the methods of contemporary European dictators. Nationalism was stresses in every sphere; military, economic, political and cultural.

Phibunsonggram (03)

Phibunsonggram (03)

It was symptomatic of such use of nationalist feeling, which had been aroused from 1932 onwards that proposal was made in June 1939 to change the name of the country from Siam to Thailand and of the people from Siamese to Thai. 

Phibunsonggram and his wife

The implication of Phibunsonggram’s intention were evident. “Thai” or T’ai” is the word employed for the indigenous people of Siam but it is also the term applied to the whole T’ai family of peoples, about one half of whom lived outside the borders of Thailand.

The Thai government, however, tried to explain this change in the name of the country and the people on ethological grounded by announcing that since the people generally called themselves “Thai” and their country “Muang Thai”, the government  “deemed it expedient to establish the official name of the country to correspond with the name of the race and to meet the desire of the people.”

However, contemporary Western observers interpreted this change of terminology as “the revival of an age-old dream of the Kingdom of the White Elephant to dominion over all the Thai peoples, now scattered under the flags of China, France and Great Britain”