Phibun awarded himself the rank of “Field
Marshall” – this rank was previously held by the
monarch only!
• Early in 1942: people had to refer to him as “the
Leader” (than phu nam – ท
่
านผ
้
ู
น
า)
• The daily press had to place slogans, such as “Our
Nation’s security depends on believing in our
leader”. [เช่ื
อผ
้
ู
น
าชาตพ
ิ้
นภย
ั], “Thailand is forever” [ไทย
อย
่
ู
ค
่
ู
ฟ้
า] * the former one was the most used.
• This, according to Phibun, meant to demonstrate
that we, the whole nation, can act as ONE person.
Critics perceived this model as Mussolini.