The Democracy Monument is a public monument in downtown Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. It occupies a roundabout on the broad east-west Ratchadamnoen Avenue at the junction of Dinso Road. The memorial is about halfway between Sanam Luang, the former royal cremation site opposite Wat Phra Kaew, and the Temple of the Golden Mount (Phu Kao Thong).
Commissioned:
The Monument was commissioned in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 Siamese coup (also known as the 1932 Siamese Revolution or the 1932 Revolution), which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the United Kingdom of Siam by its military ruler, Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram. Phibun saw the Monument as the focal point of what he envisioned as a new Westernized Bangkok, “making Thanon [road] Ratchadamnoen the Champs Elysees and the Democracy Monument the Triumphal Arch” of Bangkok.
Bangkok Democracy Monument is a historical landmark located at the Ratchadamnoen Avenue roundabout at the junction of Dinso Road. The memorial symbolizes the meanderings in modern Thai history, a sign for generations of civilians to remember the Siamese. Revolution of 1932. Located in the busiest part of Bangkok, the Democracy Monument is a feast for the eyes of all. The monumental building represents the new “Westernized Bangkok” and is, as one government official put it, “Ratchadamnoen the Champs-Élysées and the Democracy Monument Bangkok’s Arc de Triomphe.”
Connections to the capital’s top attractions mean the Democracy Monument should be on your itinerary!
Architecture and Design of Democracy Monument
The central part of the Monument is representative of the first constitution, guarded by a structure in the form of four wings. These structures are also symbolic, representing the four armed wings of government (army, navy, air force and police) that were instrumental in the success of the 1932 coup. The six doors in the center represent the Phbungsongkhram government’s six ideals: independence, internal peace, equality, liberty, economy and education. Feroci’s relief sculptures are also politically symbolic. Represent the armed forces as a symbol of the Thai people and democracy.
Another significant part of the Democracy Monument’s design is the “Personification of Balance and the Good Life” plaque, which is a symbolic representation of the social and political ideals of the military regime. Feroci’s European influence is evident through the depiction of “Sport,” a naked man playing the shot put.
Rallying Point:
Despite the Phibun regime’s self-righteous intention to erect a monument to its seizure of power and to call it a Monument to Democracy, the rather dubious origins of the Monument to Democracy are largely forgotten today, and it served as a rallying point for later one’s Generations of democracy activists. It was the focus of mass demonstrations by students against the military regime of Thanom Kittikachorn in the Thai People’s Uprising of 1973 and of the protests that sparked the military coup of 1976. During Black May (1992), dozens of Thais were killed while protesting the people’s uprising Monument against the regime of General Suchinda Kraprayoon. During Thailand’s 2013-2014 political crisis, Monument
was a rallying point for the Democratic People’s Reform Committee led by Democratic MP Suthep Thaugsuban against Pheu Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra.
These events gave the Monument the legitimacy it lacked for much of its history. During the 2020 Thai protests, the memorial again became a rallying point for protesters.
TIPS:
The memorial can hardly be seen during rush hour traffic. Try to visit early in the morning or late at night to get the most out of this attraction.
When traveling with children or the elderly, be careful when crossing the street to see the Monument.
