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The Uniqueness of Thai Democracy in the World Democracy Trend*

Professor Emeritus Borwornsak Uwanno, PhD
Fellow of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences,
The Royal Society of Thailand

This excerpt describes the governance in democracy in 2 topics, world democracy and

Thai democracy.

World Democracy
Professor Samuel P. Huntington, a renowned political scientist who passed away in 2008,

authored “The Third Wave: democratization in the late 20 century” in 1991. In the book
th
he discussed the three major waves of democratization that shave the world.

The first wave began in 1776 with the United States’ declaration of independence
from Great Britain, followed by the establishment of its constitution in 1789–coincidentally,

the same year the French revolution took place. This era brought democratic principles into
politics, liberalism in economics, and individualism in society, influenced by philosophers,

such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu. Their ideas help form the legal
foundations of modern democracy, emphasizing that ultimate power resides with the people.

Governments should be derived from public consent, expressed through regular elections.
Constitutions became the highest law, designed to protect individual rights, freedoms, and equality.

However, voting rights were initially restricted to property–owning men, so the democracy of
this period was essentially limited to the middle class. This system, often referred to as

Jacksonian democracy, was exclusive to white males.

* This is an English version adapted from the article with the same title in Thai published in the book
“The Royal Institution and Academic Advancement of the Nation” (สถาบัันพระมหากษััตริย์์กับัวิิวิัฒนาการทาง
วิิชาการของประเทศ). The Thai excerpt was provided by Mr. Krisda Punyasmita, an associate fellow, Academy
of Moral and Political Sciences, the Royal Society of Thailand. The English excerpt was provided by
Professor Dr. Sanya Sukpanichnant, an associate fellow, Academy of Science, the Royal Society of Thailand.
English language editing was provided by Dr. Paiboon Mahaisavariya.

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