Victory Monument (Bangkok)
Encyclopedia
Victory Monument is a large military monument in Bangkok
, Thailand
. The monument is located in Ratchathewi
district, northeast of central Bangkok, at the center of a traffic circle
at the intersection of Phahonyothin Road, Phaya Thai Road
, and Ratchawithi Road
.
The monument is one of Bangkok's major traffic intersections. There is a BTS Skytrain station of the same name to the south of the Monument, Victory Monument Station
, and the expressway has an exit nearby to the north at Sanam Pao. Many Bangkok BMTA bus lines stop around the monument's traffic circle, including lines no.8, 12, 14, 18, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 38, 39, 54, 59, 63, 74, 77, 92, 96, 97, 108, 112, 139 and 515. Many private commuter van lines also use the monument as a terminus. Rajvithi Hospital and Robinson Department Store are located at the intersection.
, which uses indigenous Thai forms and symbols. The central obelisk
, although originally Egyptian
, has been frequently used in Europe and America for national and military memorials - its shape suggesting both a sword and an outstanding mark that holds in a territory (by some erotic-minded it can be identify with masculine potency); here it is designed in the shape of five bayonet
s clasped together. The five statues, representing the army, navy, air force, police and civilian bureaucracy, are in a standard western "heroic" style, familiar in the 1940s in both fascist and communist states, and were executed by the Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci, who worked under the Thai name Silpa Bhirasi. The sculptor did not like the combination of his work with the obelisk, and referred to the monument as "the victory of embarrassment."
, a brief conflict waged against the French colonial authorities in Indo-China, which resulted in Thailand annexing some territories in western Cambodia
and northern and southern Laos
. These were among the territories which the Kingdom of Siam had been forced to cede to France in 1893 and 1904, and patriotic Thais considered them rightfully to belong to Thailand.
In fact the fighting between the Thais and the French in December 1940 and January 1941 had been brief and inconclusive. Only 59 Thai troops were killed, and the final territorial settlement was imposed on both parties by Japan
, which did not want to see a prolonged war between two regional allies at a time when it was preparing to launch a war of conquest in South East Asia. Thailand's gains were less than it hoped for, although more than the French wished to concede. Nevertheless the Thai regime of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram
decided to celebrate the war as a great victory, and the monument was commissioned, designed and erected within a few months.
The monument became an embarrassment in a more political sense in 1945 when the Allied victory in the Pacific War
forced Thailand to evacuate the territories it had gained in 1941 and return them to France. Many Thais regard the monument as an inappropriate symbol of militarism and a relic of what they now see as a discredited regime. Nevertheless the monument remains one of Bangkok's most familiar landmarks.
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The monument is located in Ratchathewi
Ratchathewi
Ratchathewi is a district in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is also name of a BTS Skytrain station.Neighboring districts are Phaya Thai, Din Daeng, Huai Khwang, Watthana, Pathum Wan, Pom Prap Sattru Phai and Dusit.-History:...
district, northeast of central Bangkok, at the center of a traffic circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
at the intersection of Phahonyothin Road, Phaya Thai Road
Phaya Thai Road
Phaya Thai Road is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. It begins at the south side of Victory Monument in Ratchathewi district and continues until Sam Yan Intersection in Pathum Wan district, where it intersects with Rama IV Road....
, and Ratchawithi Road
Ratchawithi Road
Ratchawithi Road, also spelled Rajvithi is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. It begins in Ratchathewi district at Sam Liam Din Daeng Junction, where it intersects with Din Daeng Road and Ratchaprarop Road, and runs northwest, past Victory Monument Circle, through Dusit district, and ultimately...
.
The monument is one of Bangkok's major traffic intersections. There is a BTS Skytrain station of the same name to the south of the Monument, Victory Monument Station
Victory Monument Station
Victory Monument station is a BTS skytrain station, on the in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok, Thailand. The station is located on Phaya Thai Road to the south of the Victory Monument, one of the landmark and major traffic intersection of Bangkok. The station is linked to all four corners of the...
, and the expressway has an exit nearby to the north at Sanam Pao. Many Bangkok BMTA bus lines stop around the monument's traffic circle, including lines no.8, 12, 14, 18, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 38, 39, 54, 59, 63, 74, 77, 92, 96, 97, 108, 112, 139 and 515. Many private commuter van lines also use the monument as a terminus. Rajvithi Hospital and Robinson Department Store are located at the intersection.
Design
The monument is entirely western in its design: in this it is in sharp contrast with another prominent monument of Bangkok, the Democracy MonumentDemocracy Monument, Bangkok
The Democracy Monument is a public monument in the centre of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. It occupies a traffic circle on the wide east-west Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, at the intersection of Dinso Road...
, which uses indigenous Thai forms and symbols. The central obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
, although originally Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, has been frequently used in Europe and America for national and military memorials - its shape suggesting both a sword and an outstanding mark that holds in a territory (by some erotic-minded it can be identify with masculine potency); here it is designed in the shape of five bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s clasped together. The five statues, representing the army, navy, air force, police and civilian bureaucracy, are in a standard western "heroic" style, familiar in the 1940s in both fascist and communist states, and were executed by the Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci, who worked under the Thai name Silpa Bhirasi. The sculptor did not like the combination of his work with the obelisk, and referred to the monument as "the victory of embarrassment."
History
The monument was erected in June 1941 to commemorate the Thai "victory" in the Franco-Thai WarFrench-Thai War
The Franco-Thai War was fought between Thailand and Vichy France over certain areas of French Indochina that had once belonged to Thailand....
, a brief conflict waged against the French colonial authorities in Indo-China, which resulted in Thailand annexing some territories in western Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and northern and southern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. These were among the territories which the Kingdom of Siam had been forced to cede to France in 1893 and 1904, and patriotic Thais considered them rightfully to belong to Thailand.
In fact the fighting between the Thais and the French in December 1940 and January 1941 had been brief and inconclusive. Only 59 Thai troops were killed, and the final territorial settlement was imposed on both parties by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, which did not want to see a prolonged war between two regional allies at a time when it was preparing to launch a war of conquest in South East Asia. Thailand's gains were less than it hoped for, although more than the French wished to concede. Nevertheless the Thai regime of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram
Plaek Pibulsonggram
Field Marshal Plaek Pibunsongkhram , often known as Phibun Songkhram or simply Phibun in English, was Prime Minister and virtual military dictator of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and 1948 to 1957.- Early years :...
decided to celebrate the war as a great victory, and the monument was commissioned, designed and erected within a few months.
The monument became an embarrassment in a more political sense in 1945 when the Allied victory in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
forced Thailand to evacuate the territories it had gained in 1941 and return them to France. Many Thais regard the monument as an inappropriate symbol of militarism and a relic of what they now see as a discredited regime. Nevertheless the monument remains one of Bangkok's most familiar landmarks.