A ground swell of opposition to the regime began to form. This was to be expected as the leaders had become more arbitrary, corrupt, incompetent and complacent during their decade of unchallenged power. The rising demand for genuine constitutional rule embraced all strata of urban society, all the way from the King to the professionals, teachers, shopkeepers, workers and students. The inspirational and organizational force belonged to a new nationwide network formed by the students, and known as the National Student Centre of Thailand.65 The ground swell came at a time when the authority of the regime was being gravely compromised by leadership feuds and recurrent scandals, the bungling of rice supplies for major cities, and by the onset of the world recession that brought with it steeply rising prices.