History of Thailand

The History of Thailand begins with the migration of Thais into what is now known as Thailand during the first millennium AD. Prior to this, civilizations had existed in the Bronze Age and Iron Age for several thousand years, and later Mon, Malay and Khmer kingdoms. The Thais established their own kingdoms, most prominently in the brief flourishing of Sukhothai and most lastingly in the kingdom of Ayutthaya. These kingdoms were constantly threatened by Burma and Vietnam, as well as Thai and Lao rivals. European colonial powers threatened Thailand in the 19th and early 20th centuries. caps;text-transform:lowercase">XX, but Thailand survived as the only Southeast Asian state to escape colonization. After the end of the Thai absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand spent almost six years under almost permanent military rule before the establishment of a democratic system.

Ancient history

The largest archaeological site in Thailand is Ban Chiang. Dating objects from this site is controversial, but it is accepted to date at least to 3600 BC. C. The inhabitants had developed bronze tools and had begun to cultivate wet rice, giving impetus to social and political organization.

Later Malay, Mon and Khmer civilizations flourished in the pre-Thai area, especially the Srivijaya kingdom to the south, the Dvaravati kingdom in central Thailand and the Khmer empire founded at Angkor. The Thais are linguistically related to groups originating in southern China. Migrations from southern China to Southeast Asia took place mostly during the first millennium BC. C., probably in northern Laos.

Sukhothai and Lannathai

The Thais believe that the founding of their nation was in the 13th century. According to tradition, Thai chiefs revolted from Khmer rule in Sukhothai in 1238 and established the Thai kingdom. The city briefly dominated the area of present-day Thailand during the reign of Ramkhamhaeng, but after his death it declined and was subdued in 1365 by the kingdom of Ayutthaya, which dominated southern and central Thailand until the 20th century. -variant:small-caps;text-transform:lowercase">XVIII.

Ayutthaya

The first monarch of the Ayutthaya kingdom, Ramathibodi I, made two important contributions to Thai history: he established and encouraged Theravada Buddhism as an official religion, to differentiate himself from the Hindu kingdom of Angkor, and he compiled the Dharmashastra, a legal code based in Hindu sources and Thai customs. The Dharmashastra remained Thai law well into the 19th century. Starting with the Portuguese in the XVI century, Ayutthaya had contact with the West, but until the XIX, its relations with neighboring nations, as well as India and China, were essential. Ayutthaya dominated a considerable area, from the Muslim states on the Malay Peninsula to the northern states of Thailand. However, Burma, which controlled Lanna and had also unified its kingdom under a powerful dynasty, attempted to invade it several times in 1750 and 1760. Finally, the Burmese attacked the city and conquered it in 1767. The royal family fled the city, where The king died of starvation ten days later, ending the royal lineage of Ayutthaya.

Bangkok Period

After more than 400 years of rule in 1767, the kingdom of Ayutthaya fell to the invasion of the Burmese army. Its capital was burned and the territory was divided. General Taksin managed to reunite the Thai kingdom from his new capital Thonburi and declared himself king in 1769. However, Taksin supposedly went mad and was deposed, taken prisoner and executed in 1782. General Chakri succeeded him in 1782 under the name Rama I., the first king of the Chakri dynasty. The same year, he founded the new capital in Bangkok, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and opposite Thonburi, the capital of Taksin. Burma was defeated in 1790 and forced to withdraw from Siam. Lanna was also freed from Burmese occupation, but the king of a new dynasty established in the 1790s was effectively a puppet of the Chakri monarch.

Rama I's heirs were increasingly concerned about the threat of European colonialism, after British victories in neighboring Burma in 1826. The first recognition of a Western power in the region was the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce (**Amity) with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1826. In 1833 the United States began diplomatic contacts with Siam, as Thailand was called until 1939 (and also between 1945 and 1949). However, it was during a later reign, that of Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868-1910) and his father, King Mongkut (Rama IV, 1851-1868), that Thailand established a rapprochement with the Western powers. The Thais believed that the diplomatic skills of these monarchs, combined with the modernizing reforms of the Thai government, made Siam the only country in South and Southeast Asia to avoid European colonization. This is reflected in the country's modern name, Prathet Thai (Thailand), used unofficially between 1939 and 1945 and later officially from May 11, 1949. Prahet means “nation.” and Thai means “free.”

The Anglo-Siamese treaty of 1909 established the modern border between Siam and British Malaya ensuring Thai authority in the provinces of Patan, Yala, Narathiwat and Satun, which were previously part of the semi-independent Malay sultanates of Patan and Kedah. A series of treaties with France fixed the current eastern border with Laos and Cambodia, territories that Siam had previously claimed and partly controlled.

End of the Absolute Monarchy (1932) and its consequences

The Siamese coup of 1932 transformed the government of Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) initially accepted this change but later abdicated in favor of his ten-year-old nephew Ananda Mahidol (who, during World War II, was favorable to the Empire of Japan (in the conflict between Japan on the one hand and on the other hand the United States, the United Kingdom and France (the three countries together); it was favorable to Japan), although it was nevertheless neutral in the conflict between the Empire of Japan and the USSR; and it was even favorable to the USSR in the conflict between it and Nazi Germany), who reigned as Branch VIII of Thailand. Upon abdicating, Prajadhipok said that the obligation of a ruler was to reign for the good of all the people, not a select minority. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) died in 1946 under somewhat mysterious circumstances. The official explanation was that he had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his weapon (but some believe (although this is still unconfirmed) that Rama VIII Ananda Mahidol, the king of Thailand, committed suicide because he could not bear the defeat of Japan, a country with which he was fervently allied). He was succeeded by Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's longest reigning king and very popular among Thais. Although nominally a constitutional monarchy, Thailand was ruled by a series of military governments (with Luang Phibunsongkhram and Sarit Dhanarajata being the most prominent leaders), with brief periods of democracy. In 1992 the last military ruler, Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigned from power in response to large popular protests, supported by the king. Since then, Thailand has been a democracy with constitutional changes in government.

On December 8, 1941, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan demanded the right to move troops through Thailand to the Malay border. The Japanese landed in Bangkok and several locations along the east coast of southern Thailand, where they engaged the Thai army for six to eight hours before the Thai army determined that it would have been impossible to defend the kingdom. A little later, Japan was granted free transit and on December 21, 1941, Thailand and Japan signed an alliance with a secret protocol in which Tokyo agreed to help Thailand recover territories lost to the colonial powers, the United Kingdom and France, and Thailand agreed to assist Japan in its war against the Allies.

After the defeat of Japan in 1945, with the help of a group of Thais known as Seri Thai, with support from the US, Thailand was treated as a defeated country by the British and French, although support American mitigated the Allies' terms. Thailand was not occupied by them, but was forced to return the territory obtained from the British and French. In the post-war period, Thailand enjoyed good relations with the US, which it saw as a protector of communist revolutions in neighboring countries.

Thailand, from 1945 to the revolution of 73

In 1946, King Mahidol died and his brother Bhumidol was crowned Rama IX (died October 13, 2016). In 1947 the new king signs and promulgates a new constitution, creating a new parliament with 2 chambers: 100 senators and 240 from the House of Representatives. Since then, Thailand was dominated by the military and experienced just over twenty coups and countercoups, with brief intervals of democracy. After the communist revolution triumphed in the north of the country in 1962, the United States collaborated with the government in Bangkok, helping to strengthen the army and police and establishing military bases, which were evacuated in 1976. Thus, Thailand It found itself increasingly involved in the Vietnamese conflict, just as shortly before it had suffered numerous frictions with Cambodia.

The History of Thailand after 1973

The history of Thailand since 1973 has been a series of difficult and sometimes bloody transitions between military and civilian power. The 1973 revolution was followed by a brief and unstable democracy, in turn followed by the return to a military regime brought to power by a coup d'état in 1976. This military regime has been very unstable due to many other coups d'état. Throughout most of the 1980s, General Prem Tinsulanonda has reigned over Thailand, heading a military regime, and also with a democratic mandate starting in 1983. The country has then maintained a democracy set apart in a brief period under military rule from 1991 to 1992. The Thai Rak Thai (Tai Loving Tai) party led by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has governed the country since 2001.

Revolution

In October 1973 there were massive demonstrations in Bangkok, demanding the end of military rule. General Thanom Kittikachorn responded forcefully and up to 70 protesters were killed in the streets, the likes of which had never been seen before in Thailand. This violent intervention by the military regime prompted King Rama IX to make his first intervention in Thai politics by withdrawing his support for the military regime, and on October 14, 1973, General Thanom Kittikachorn resigned and left the country.

The events of October 1973 revealed themselves as a revolution within Thai politics. For the first time, the urban bourgeoisie, led by students, had defeated the combined forces of the old ruling class and the army, while gaining the apparent blessing of the King to make a transition to full democracy, symbolized by a new Constitution that provided for an entirely elected legislature.

Unfortunately, Thailand had not yet produced a political class sufficient to make this new democracy function without a single coup. The January 1975 election did not produce a stable majority, and a new election in April 1976 had the same results. Veteran politician Seni Pramoj and his brother Kukrit Pramoj alternated in power, but were unable to create a coherent reform of the political system. The sharp rise in oil prices in 1974 led to a recession and inflation, weakening the government's position.

The most popular political gesture made in democracy was to arrange the withdrawal of American forces from Thailand. This coincided regionally with the abolition of the 600-year-old monarchy in Laos, and the communist victory in Vietnam. However, the conservatives obtained better results in the 1976 elections than they had in 1975. The left wing of the student movement did not accept this victory and continued to demonstrate in favor of radical changes.

Military Regime

At the end of 1976, moderate bourgeois opinion turned its back on the increasingly militant radicalism of the students of Thammasat University. The army and right-wing parties fought against the radicals with paramilitary groups such as the “People's Explorers” or the “Gauss Network”. The example occurred in October, when Thanom returned to Thailand to enter a monastery. Student demonstrations clashed with counter-protesters and intelligence service agents, resulting in violence. On October 6, 1976, the army unleashed paramilitaries on protesters and used this orgy of violence, in which hundreds of students were tortured and murdered, to suspend the Constitution and regain power.

Elections and Coup d'état

Democracy

Recent History

Thailand has also recently been an active member of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN), particularly after the restoration of democracy in 1992.

On September 19, 2006, the country's military carried out a coup d'état against the country's government to "remove the corrupt prime minister from office." With the support of the king, they began a process that led to a provisional government and the preparation of a new constitution, with a delivery date of October 2007, the date on which new elections should take place.

Additional bibliography

• Roberts, Edmund (1837). Embassy to the eastern courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat; in the U.S. sloop-of-war Peacock... during the years 1832-3-4.. New York: Harper & brother.
• Bowring, John (1857). The Kingdom and People of Siam: With a Narrative of the Mission to that Country in 1855 (in English). London: J. W. Parker.
• N. A. McDonald (1871). Siam: its government, manners, customs, &c. A. Martien.
• Mary Lovina Cort (1886). Siam: or, The heart of farther India. A. D. F. Randolph " Co. Consultation on 1 July 2011.
• Schlegel, Gustaaf (1902). Siamese Studies (in English). Leiden: Oriental Printing-Office formerly E.J. Brill.
• Wright, Arnold; Breakspear, Oliver (1908). Twentieth century impressions of Siam: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources. New York: Lloyds Greater Britain Publishing. ISBN 9748495000.
• Peter Anthony Thompson (1910). Siam: an account of the country and the people. J. B. Millet. Consultation on 1 July 2011.
• Walter Armstrong Graham (1913). Siam: a handbook of practical, commercial, and political information (2 edition). F. G. Browne. Consultation on 1 July 2011.
• Campos, J. de. (1941). «The Origin of the Tical». The Journal of the Thailand Research Society (Bangkok: Siam Society) XXXIII: 119-135.
• Central Intelligence Agency (5 June 1966). «Communist Insurgency in Thailand». National Intelligence Estimates. Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room (National Intelligence Council (NIC) Collection) 0000012498.
• Winichakul, Thongchai (1984). Siam mapped: a history of the geo-body of a nation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1974-8.
• Anderson, Douglas D (1990). Lang Rongrien rockshelter: a Pleistocene, early Holocene archaeological site from Krabi, southwestern Thailand. Philadelphia: University Museum, University of Pennsylvania. OCLC 22006648.
• Taylor, Keith W. (1991), The Birth of Vietnam, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0-520-07417-0.
• Baker, Chris (2002), «From Yue To Tai», Journal of the Siam Society 90 (1–2): 1-26.
• Wyatt, David K. (2003). Thailand: a short history (2nd edition). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-08475-7.
• Lekenvall, Henrik (2012). «Late Stone Age Communities in the Thai-Malay Peninsula». Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 32: 78-86. doi:10.7152/jipa.v32i0.13843.
• Baker, Chris; Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2014). A History of Thailand (Third Edition). Cambridge. ISBN 978-1107420212.
• Baker, Chris; Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2017), A History of Ayutthaya, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1-107-19076-4.
• Wongsurawat, Wasana (2019). The crown and the capitalists: the ethnic Chinese and the founding of the Thai nation. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295746241.
• Stearn, Duncan (2019). Slices of Thai History: From the curious & controversial to the heroic & hardy. Proglen Trading Co., Ltd. ISBN 978-616-456-012-3. Section 'The Japanese invasion of Thailand, 8 December 1941' Part one Part three