The Democracy Monument is perhaps the most visible symbol in Bangkok. The monument marks the country’s peaceful transition from absolute monarchy to democracy which took place on June 24th, 1932.

Ironically, the monument wasn’t used in a democratic function until October 14, 1973 when some 500,000 pro-democracy demonstrators massed on Rajadamnoen. The pictures of the waves of people gathering around the Democracy Monument are extremely powerful and contributed to the popularity of the monument as the ideal rallying point for political demonstrations. Since the first pro-democracy demonstrations in 1973, the area around the Democracy Monument has witnessed four major political upheavals.