Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
men. Many of the king's advisors were British, who ushered in a remodelling of the
old Ayuthaya-based system.
Distant subregions were brought under central command and railways were built
to link them to population centres. Pressured by French and British colonies on all
sides, the modern boundaries of Siam came into shape, partly from ceding territory.
Successive kings continued to adopt European procedures and models to better
survive in the new world order.
Democracy vs Dictator
The 1932 Revolution
During a period of growing independence
movements in the region, a group of foreign-
educated military officers and bureaucrats led
a successful (and bloodless) coup against
absolute monarchy in 1932. But democracy
did not (and still doesn't) have a smooth road
ahead.
The pro-democracy party soon splintered
and, by 1938, General Phibul Songkhram,
one of the original democracy supporters,
seized control of the country as Japanese ag-
gression during WWII changed the regional
political landscape. Phibul (pronounced 'pee-
boon') was staunchly anti-royalist, strongly
nationalistic and pro-Japanese, allowing that
country to occupy Thailand as a base for assaults on British colonies in southeast
Asia. In the post-WWII era, Phibul positioned Thailand as an ally of the US with
staunch anti-communist policies.
Landmarks of the
Bangkok Era
1 WAT ARUN (
CLICK HERE
)
2 WAT PHRA KAEW & GRAND
PALACE (
CLICK HERE
)
The Cold War
During the Cold War and the US conflict in Vietnam, the military leaders of Thailand
gained legitimacy and economic support from the US in exchange for the use of
military installations in Thailand.
