ABSTRACT
The 1932 Revolution had been staged by a very small group of bureaucrats and military men who were without any popular base of support. Although a parliament was created after that revolution, the people who stood for election in the 1930s were affiliated, not with parties, but with whatever faction in the ruling elite they had established patron-client relations. The 1973 Revolution had brought students into politics in a significant way, and even though some attached themselves to particular parties, primarily the New Force and Socialist parties, many felt that parties alone were inadequate to channel the concerns of people facing serious social problems. The October 6 coup and the subsequent harsh reactionary policies implemented by the Thanin government convinced thousands that a radical revolution was the only alternative to a right-wing authoritarian regime. Many people left their homes to join the Communist party of Thailand in order to work for a revolutionary change in the Thai political system.
