In 1932, Thailand's first Constitution was established and thereby, instituted a constitutional monarchy. Despite aspirations to shift to democratic rule, the country struggled to reconcile the ideals of Western constitutionalism with the realities of Thai society; namely a highly stratified culture with a largely uneducated population, where political and economic resources were concentrated in the hands of the few. The Constitution of 1997 was initiated by the Thai citizens. The seed for change was planted in May of 1992 during “Black May,” an uprising of mainly members of the middle-class, which mobilized the public around demands for profound political and social reform.