BANGKOK DEMOCRACY MONUMENT

Description

Essentials about the Bangkok Democracy Monument in brief

The Democracy Monument is situated in the middle of Bangkok’s city center, in the middle of a traffic circle on Thanon Ratchadamnoen Klang (Ratchadamnoen Klang Boulevard) at the intersection with Thanon Dinso. The monument was commissioned in 1939 by Major General Phibunsongkhram to commemorate the 1932 coup (the so-called “Siamese Revolution”) that led to the establishment of constitutional monarchy in the then Kingdom of Siam.

The history of the Bangkok Democracy Monument

Phibunsongkhram envisioned a new, Western-oriented Bangkok with the monument as its focal point. He wanted to turn Ratchadamnoen Klang Boulevard into the Champs-Élysées and the Democracy Monument into the Arc de Triomphe of Bangkok. The construction of the Democracy Monument was very unpopular at the time, as the local Chinese-born businessmen had to abandon their homes and stores within two months to make way for a widening of the boulevard. Hundreds of shade trees also had to give way, a serious matter in those days without air conditioning because of the tropical climate. The foundation stone of the monument was laid on June 24, 1939, the 7th anniversary of the coup. The official inauguration took place on June 22, 1940.

The architecture of the Bangkok Democracy Monument

Phibunsongkhram was a supporter of German and Italian fascism, which is why, ironically, the Democracy Monument is also built in the style of fascist architecture. The monument is overloaded with symbolism. In the center of the complex is a hexagonal shrine with doors on all sides, on the roof of which is a symbolic sculpture of the 1932 Constitution on two golden sacrificial bowls. The Constitution is symbolically protected by four concrete pillars that resemble outstretched wings. These four wings represent the four branches of the Thai armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Police) that participated in the 1932 coup.

The individual wings are each 24 meters high, and the circular monument base also has a radius of 24 meters. This is to commemorate June 24, 1932, the day the coup took place. The height of the central shrine – 3 meters – represents the month of June, the third month of the traditional Thai calendar. Originally, there were 75 small cannons along the outer perimeter of the base, representing the year of the coup – 2475 according to the Buddhist calendar. The six doors in the central shrine represent the six stated goals of Phibun’s regime’s political lineage: “Independence, Inner Peace, Equality, Freedom, Trade, and Education.”

On the outside at the base of the four wings are gargoyles in the shape of a garuda head (a snake-slaying, half-man, half-eagle mount) holding a naga (a serpent creature) in its beak. Both creatures originate from Buddhist-Hindu mythology.

On the side at the base of the wing are relief sculptures that are propagandistic in design. They depict the Thai armed forces as both champions of democracy and personifications of the Thai people. In the version of events depicted in these sculptures, the 1932 coup d’état was carried out by a united and idealistic armed force on behalf of the people with the intention of bringing democracy to Thailand. In the reliefs, civilians appear only as grateful recipients of the military’s generosity and heroism.

The story portrayed in these sculptures is a not insignificant distortion of the truth. The fact is that the 1932 coup was planned and executed by a small group of officers and some civilian collaborators with almost no bloodshed. The coup was soon followed by the promulgation of Thailand’s first constitution, but it was far from democratic. There were efforts to introduce more democracy in the mid-1930s, but this was not followed through due to disagreements between the military and civilians in the government. When the Democracy Monument was built in 1939, Thailand was a military dictatorship. Today, despite – or perhaps because of – the circumstances that led to the construction of this monument, this square is popularly used for demonstrations by pro-democracy activists.

Because of the very heavy traffic in Bangkok, it is not quite easy to reach the island in the middle of the eight-lane boulevard as a pedestrian to view the monument from close up. However, there are plans to create a tunnel under the road, similar to the Berlin Victory Column.