Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library

CHOMSKY ON ANARCHISM
internal policies or methods of achieving power." Phibun got the point. In
August 1949, "he stated that foreign pressure had become 'alarming' and that
internal Communist activity had 'vigorously increased.'" In 1950, Truman
approved a $10 million grant for military aid.
The new rulers made use of the substantial American military aid to conven
the political system into "a more powerful and ruthless fo rm of authoritarianism,"
and to develop an extensive system of corruption, nepotism, and
profiteering that helped maintain (he loyalty of their followers. At (he same
time, "American corporations moved in, purchasing large quantities of rubber
and tin ... shipments of raw materials now went direcrly to the United States
instead of through Hong Kong and Singapore."41 By 1958, "the United States
purchased 90 per cent of Thailand's rubber and most of its tin." American
investment, however, remained low, because of the political instability as well
as "the problems caused by more extensive public ownership and economic
planning." To improve matters, the Sarit dictatorship (see below) introduced
tax benefits and guarantees against nationalization and competition from government-owned
commercial enterprises, and finally banned trade with China
and abolished all monopolies, government or private, "in an attempt to attract
private foreign capital."
American influence gave "material and moral suppOrt" to the Phibun dictatorship
and "discouraged the political opposition." It strengthened the executive
power and "encouraged the military leaders to take even stronger measures
in suppressing local opposition, using the excuse that all anti-government
activity was Communist-inspired." In 1954, Pridi Phanomyong, a liberal intellectual
who had been the major participant in the overthrow of the absolute
monarchy in 1932, had led the Free Thai underground during the war, and
had been elected in 1946 when Thai democracy reached "an all-time high,"
appeared in Communist China; the United States was supporting Phibun,
"who had been an ally of the Japanese, while Pridi, who had courageously
assisted the OSS, was in Peking cooperating with the Chinese Communists."
This was "ironic."
It is difficult to imagine what sort of development towards a constitutional,
parliamentary system might have taken place had it nor been fo r Americansupported
subversion. The liberals were extremely weak in any event, in particular
because of the domination of the economy by Western and Chinese
enterprises linked with the corrupt governmental bureaucracy. The Coup
Group that had overthrown the government "was composed almost entirely of
commoners, many of whom had come from the peasantry or low-ranking militaryand
civil service families," and who now wanted their share in corruption
and authoritarian control. The opposition "Democrats" were, for the most
part, "members of the royal family or conservative landowners who wanted to
preserve their role in the government and their personal wealth." Whatever
opportunities might have existed for the development of some more equitable
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