Revolution Through the Airwaves: Radio Broadcasting and Thai Politics, 1932–1938
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: This study explores the 1932 Siamese Revolution through the perspective of the history of technology, with particular emphasis on the role of radio broadcasting in the early post-Revolutionary period from 1932 to 1938. It examines how the People’s Party employed radio as a vital medium of political communication, enabling the dissemination of political ideologies to a broad public and fostering the emergence of a new civic consciousness.
Methods: This study employs a qualitative historical methodology, utilizing analytical description. The research is based on primary sources, such as official government documents, archival records, newspapers, speeches, and memoirs. These are analyzed in conjunction with secondary sources, including books, research articles, and relevant theses.
Results: The study reveals that radio broadcasting played a pivotal role as a communicative medium linking the state and society in the aftermath of the 1932 Siamese Revolution. The People’s Party government strategically employed the radio to legitimize political authority, disseminate new ideological frameworks, and foster civic consciousness rooted in nationhood and constitutionalism. Broadcasting encompassed entertainment, news, and education, reflecting the state’s efforts to utilize media to enhance public knowledge and foster national unity.
Application of this study: This research enhances understanding of the relationship between media, technology, and political power in Thailand after the 1932 Siamese Revolution and is useful for comparative studies of political communication, and Thai political history.
Conclusions: Radio broadcasting was a vital tool of the People’s Party after the 1932 Siamese Revolution, serving both to legitimize political authority and to promote public education and civic participation, contributing to nation-building and the development of the new regime. The early operations of radio broadcasting after the revolution also laid the foundation for the development of radio broadcasting as a powerful medium under the government of Field Marshal P. Pibulsongkram during 1938–1944.
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