Sarit's Coups
During the early 1950s, Pibunsongkhram's government had become increasingly corrupt, and the parliamentary election of 1957 was blatantly rigged to keep Pibunsongkhram in power. Public outrage and student protests, accompanied by the known displeasure of Thailand's king, led Sarit to stage a coup in September 1957, but a serious deterioration of his health led Sarit to fly to the United States of America for treatment, leaving Deputy Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn in charge. However, economic troubles continued, and in October 1958 Sarit staged a second coup, intended to thwart the undisciplined politicians by imposing Martial law. Sarit felt that democracy had failed in Thailand and intended to rule according to "Thai ideologies", not imported Western political theories, choosing as his model the supposedly benevolent despots of his country's past.
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