lao nationalism
Flag of the Pathet Lao (Drawn by User: SKopp, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=343627)
Lao nationalism slowly percolated among the population between 1920 and 1940. It became clear to the population that living as a French colony was objectionable. The spark of nationalism began with a French initiative to preserve Laos' cultural monuments, history and literature.
Infrastructure, hospitals and schools grew significantly, and a few Lao elites attended university in France and England. One elite, Prince Phetxarat Rattanavongsa was appointed as the Indigenous Inspector of Political and Administrative affairs in 1923. His priority, according to Stuart-Fox, was to “increase the number of Lao serving in the bureaucracy at the expense of the Vietnamese, through improving opportunities for the training and promotion of Lao civil servants.”
Rattanavongsa wanted to keep the cultural Lao identity within French Indochina, so he charged his secretary with finding forgotten history and manuscripts. The Lao history taught in schools didn’t center around the ancient kingdom of Lan Xang, instead it focused on France liberating Laos from Siamese rule.
“By implication … only a continuing French presence could guarantee a continuing Lao identity,” Stuart-Fox wrote. This history taught by the French was why Lao nationalism took so long to flourish.
During the 1930’s France's power in southeast Asia weakened as Siam, renamed Thailand in 1938, and Japan sought to control areas of Laos. France capitulated further to Japan when the Pacific theater of World War II began in 1941. This lead Lao elites to reflect on their place in southeast Asia.
The combination of a weakened France, a foreign staffed administration and many other resentments gave rise to the Movement for National Renovation, an overt cultural nationalist movement.
The movement praised Lao literature, art, music and history — all to instill a sense of Lao identity and pride. The movement organized the population and excited young activists.
The catalyst for Lao independence, according to Stuart-Fox, began in March 1945 when Japanese forces reached Luang Prabang. On April 8, 1945 under pressure from the Japanese, the King of Laos renounced France by declaring independence.
The Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency, aided Thai and Lao groups by recruiting young nationalists and training them in northeastern Thailand, preparing them to seize power upon Japan's defeat. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered to allied forces in August 1945.