The Development Of Democratic Politics In Thailand Under Military Intervention

As the first country in Southeast Asia to establish a democratic government,Thailand opened the process of exploring democratic politics as early as 1932.However,the democratic political process in Thailand for more than 80 years has been a tortuous one,not only did it not welcome the expected democracy and stability,but it continued to fall into the "political cycle" of the coup(military government)-election(literate government)-political crisis-coup,the social class is seriously divided,and political contradictions are intensifying frequently.The military,as an independent political force,has always played an important role in the political development of Thailand,even to a large extent,the process of democratic political development in Thailand is a military history.Looking back at history,in the more than 80 years since the establishment of the constitutional monarchy,Thailand has a total of22 coups,the time for the military group to directly take charge of government or foster an agent is about 50 years,and its stability is much higher than the literati government.For Thailand,which is in a period of political transition,military personnel have both historical reasons and realistic factors,and the influence of military affairs on Thai democratic politics also needs our dialectical view.Taking the Thai military as the starting point for analysis,based on the facts of historical development,generally,the process of democratic politics in Thailand can be divided into three stages: the period of establishment of the monopoly position of the military group under the constitutional government system(1932-1973),the confrontation between military authority and democratic political forces(1973-1992),the period of confrontation between emerging political forces and military political groups(Since 1992).Through a systematic analysis of the different stages of historical development in Thailand,comprehensive and dialectical understanding of the role and influence of the Thai army on the development of democratic politics in Thailand,profoundly grasp at which specific historical stages the military maintains and develops democracy,and how is it gradually becoming a hindrance to thedevelopment of democratic politics in Thailand,the political attitude of the Thai royal family behind the military and the psychological orientation of the Thai people towards democracy and stability.Especially in recent years,frequent street political movements in Thailand,the street riots triggered by the political non-governmental organizations People’s Democratic Alliance and Anti-Dictual Democracy Coalition have caused Thai society to be paralyzed several times.The country is almost on the verge of splitting,and international prestige has fallen to the bottom.The Thai people have once again fallen into a predicament on the road of pursuing democracy.However,in the case that the contradictions are difficult to reconcile,it is only possible for the military to take over the state power again,thereby stabilizing the social order.In the past,the legitimacy of the military’s internal affairs came from the king of Bhumibol Adulyadej who had a very high status in the minds of the people.The source of legitimacy endowed by the king has made the forces of all parties convinced,which is the result of decades of hard work and love for the old king.In the new era environment,with the death of the Nine Kings and the increase in the degree of democratization of the society,the new king wants to continue to maintain the supreme authority of the royal family.The military and other traditional royal powers are naturally a firm ally that they must rely on.This has undoubtedly delayed the process of Thailand’s real development towards democratization.Although military interventions are inherently ill-restrained in Thai politics,they have also brought stability and development to Thailand during the transition period.However,the general trend of democratic development is constantly moving forward,and the military group must finally achieve reconciliation with the people.From this point of view,If Thailand wants to achieve democracy in the true sense,it will not only need to solve the problem of military affairs,but also the strengths of all forces to play a democratic joint force and jointly promote the sound development of the democratic process.