Military Study Abroad as Thailand’s Foreign Policy Between the 1930s–1940s

Abstract The need to modernize the armed forces motivated the Thai government to send a large number of soldiers to Europe to learn military during the absolute monarchy. Sending soldiers to study abroad, on the other hand, had become a part of national diplomacy seeking to balance power between the powerhouse states. After the Revolution of 1932, the new government likewise made an effort to preserve its stability by dismissing many royalist soldiers. As a result, it demanded many sophisticated soldiers, who relied on the new government. Hence, many soldiers had dispatched to observe and study military tactics abroad. On the one hand, the anti-imperialist policy forced the Thai government to favore the Japanese Empire and to rely on its support; many Thai cadets and soldiers were sent to study in Japan. On the other hand, the Japanese diplomacy, Pan-Asianism, made it very evident that Japan demanded to expand its influence over Asia, including Thailand. So, the Thai government seeking to achive a balance of power among the influences of strong countries decided to send numerous soldiers, including the sons of Phibunsongkhram, to study military tactics in Europe and the United States. This pursuit of a balance of power received a positive response from European nations and the US, who were also concerned about Japan’s influence over their colonies in Asia. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Second World War shattered Thailand’s hopes of attaining a balance of power among the powerful countries.