How Phibun Returned to the Political Scene: Youth-led Rallies, Leaflets, and Petitions in 1947, 1948, and 2020

Abstract In recent rallies for democracy by Thai youth, protesters appreciated the 1932 overthrow of absolute monarchy by the People’s Party and the memory of anti-royalist Thai Prime Minister Phibun Songkram. On the other hand, since 2016, there have been royalist movements to wipe out all memory of him. Using Historical Institutionalism, this article traces the process of Phibun’s return as army commander following the 1947 coup, accession as Prime Minister (for the second time) in April 1948, and the evocative memory of People’s Party and Phibun in 2020 youth-led protests. The author paid particular attention to the meanings of rallies and leaflets. A closer look at Thai, Chinese, and English newspapers of the time reveals that many youth-led rallies were organized, and a great many leaflets were distributed. Youth-led rallying is still a common practice in Thai political activity today, and its origins are observed here.