ABSTRACT

The immediate cause of the revolution of 1932 was provided by Thailand's depression, necessitating budgetary cuts in the salaries and promotions of junior civil-service and military officers. The new nationalist fervor following the revolution of 1932 showed itself in the form of an anti-Chinese movement, leading to closure of Chinese-language schools, restricting Chinese immigration to an annual quota of ten thousand, and deporting illegal aliens. Since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has withstood thirteen revolutions and eight constitutions. The period is marked by government by decree alternating with experiments in constitutional rule. The gains between 1932 and 1935 included the establishment of a limited constitutional monarchy on the British pattern and the abdication of King Prajadhipok in 1935 in favor of his ten-year-old son, Ananda, then in school in Switzerland. Thailand's several constitutions have maintained certain common features, including separation of powers, rights and the cabinet's submission of policies to and subservience to the parliament.