One of its founders was an army officer called Phibun in full, Luang Phibunsongkhram , who in helped to lead a coup against the Chakri king and set up a government closer to a western-style democracy, with a parliament. The monarchy survived, but in Phibun took charge as dictator. There were many Chinese in the country and many prosperous Chinese businesses, but Phibun cut down immigration from China and government-backed Thai businesses were set up, while the use of Mandarin in Chinese schools was limited to two hours a week.
Thailand adopted the western calendar, a new flag was created and a new national anthem, while Phibun demanded that Thais wore western-style clothes, including hats. Thailand was allied with Japan in the Second World War and Phibun was forced to resign in , but he returned to power with military backing in and the army ran Thailand with support from the US.
Following the destruction of Ayutthaya in , the Thai armed forced moved south to Thon Buri to regroup and restore their kingdom. The center of power moved across the Chao Phraya River, when Krung Thep, internationally known as Bangkok, was founded in Since then the Royal House of Chakri has reigned over the Kingdom. The institution of the monarchy in Thailand is in many ways unique. Not only does it have a history going back more than seven hundred years, but it has also managed to preserve its relevance in the contemporary world.
The love and reverence the Thai people have for their King stem in large part from the moral authority His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great has earned during his reign, one that involves a remarkable degree of personal contact with the people. At the same time, it is rooted in attitudes that can be traced to the earliest days of Thailand as a nation state and in some of the past monarchs who continue to serve as models of kingship. Thai concepts of monarchy have their origins in Sukhothai, founded in the early part of the 13th century and generally regarded as the first truly independent Thai kingdom.
Here, particularly under the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great AD , was born the ideal of a paternalistic ruler alert to the needs of his people and aware of the fact that his duty was to guide them.
Such forms part of Dasavidha-rajadhamma , or the ten precepts of kingship, which — rooted in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism — encompasses such virtues as willingness to give and sacrifice for a greater good, morality, honesty, open-mindedness, diligence, compassion, perseverance and righteousness.
With the founding of the Chakri dynasty in and the establishment of Bangkok as the capital, the kingship was based primarily on adherence to the said Buddhist concepts of virtue, which indeed has served to the present day as a code of conduct of a Thai monarch and made the monarchical institution one that is responsive to the needs of the people.
The Bangkok period has produced a succession of able kings, capable of meeting a variety of challenges to the country, to the people as well as to the monarchy itself. Today, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic form of government. The Thai monarch reigns, but does not rule.
Thailand is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. The administration of the country is carried out by the prime minister — elected through an open vote by members of the House of Representatives — and the cabinet that the prime minister forms. The Kingdom has a bi-cameral legislature and an independent judiciary. The Thai people and civil society organizations are increasingly taking part in political activities, enjoying the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
With the resiliency and fundamental strengths of the Thai society, the country has been able to continue its stride along the path of development, guided by the traditional Thai traits of tolerance, common sense and preference for peaceful solutions to problems. Over the past decades, there has been a remarkable continuity in policy direction, providing a predictable framework for investors and businessmen. These policies are underpinned, among others, by the vibrant private sector and the strength and continuity of the civil service of the nation, which oversees the implementation of policies and execution of laws throughout the country.
With a free-market economy, the Kingdom has a strong domestic market and a growing middle class, with the private sector being the main engine of growth. Thailand also has a strong industrial sector 40 percent of GDP and a robust and growing services sector 50 percent of GDP centered on the tourism and financial services industries. Given the importance of exports to Thailand, it has been a leader in the region in terms of trade liberalization and facilitation with the rest of the world, starting with its Asian neighbors.
Thailand is a key player in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN , enjoying a strategic location that provides easy access to a larger market of over million people, making it a community of connectivity, a single market and production base. With a favorable investment climate, an entrepreneurial spirit and an open society, Thailand has been chosen by many businesses, media firms, as well as international organizations and non-governmental organizations.
As an active and responsible member of the international community, Thailand participates fully in regional and international organizations. Around the 6th to the 9th centuries, the fertile central plains were inhabited by a Mon civilization known as Dvaravati.
While much is unknown about this realm, the Dvaravati had well established internal and external trading routes that were important to the development of Thailand and left a wealth of Buddhist artwork that testifies to the great influence indian Culture and religion had on the region.
From the 9th to the 11th centuries the Khmers of Angkor expanded their kingdom to include most of modern-day Thailand, with important provincial cities established at Phimai, Lopburi and even Nakhon Si Thammarat. The temples at Phanom Rung, Phimai, and Lopburi are enduring testaments to this period of Thai history. Throughout the reign of Angkor, Lopburi often asserted its independence and was clearly an important center for burgeoning Syam culture.
In northern Thailand, Buddhist scholars from Lopburi founded a city-state known as Haripunjaya in Lamphun , northern Thailand around the 9th century a Mon enclave that remained independent until the 13th century. Elsewhere in the north, the Tai people were fanning out and establishing their own city states, notably at Chiang Saen, where one of the first powerful Thai kingdoms, Lan Na, was originally established in the 12th century. The establishment of Lan Na, Sukhothai , and Phayao , three allied kingdoms founded by contemporary leaders, represents the beginning of the Thai history as we know it.
The Sukhothai Period is often considered the golden era of Thai history, an ideal Thai state in a land of plenty governed by paternal and benevolent kings, the most famous of whom was King Ramkamhaeng the Great c. In addition to developing some of the most beautiful Thai art, the Sukhothai Kingdom is credited with developing the modern Thai alphabet. However, following the death of King Ramkamhaeng, the mightier state of Ayutthaya gradually exerted its influence over Sukhothai.
Following the death of King Ramkhamhaeng, the kingdom of Sukhothai rapidly declined and Lan Na expanded its influence over its neighboring kingdoms, many of which were former suzerains of Sukhothai. In the middle of the 15th Century Lan Na arts and literature reached a pinnacle during the King Tilokoraj period. However, after the king's death, Lan Na weakened due to internal conflicts and Chiang Mai fell under Burmese control around ; while the Burmese occupied the northern region for a few centuries, they did little development, using Chiang Mai as a military base from which to battle the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, a mighty kingdom in the central plains that was gradually exerting its influence from the mid 14 th century onwards.
No longer the paternal and accessible rulers that the kings of Sukhothai had been, Ayutthaya's sovereigns were absolute monarchs and assumed the title devaraja god-king. The early part of this period saw Ayutthaya extend its sovereignty over neighboring Thai principalities and come into conflict with its neighbors.
During the 17th century, Siam started diplomatic and commercial relations with western countries. In , after repeated attempts, the Burmese invaded and successfully captured Ayutthaya. Despite their overwhelming victory, the Burmese did not retain control of Siam for long. A young general named Phya Taksin and his followers broke through the Burmese lines and escaped to Chantaburi.
Seven months after the fall of Ayutthaya, he and his forces sailed back up the Chao Phraya River to Ayutthaya and expelled the Burmese occupation garrison, though tragically the capital had been looted and nearly razed. Thonburi General Taksin, as he is popularly known, decided to transfer the capital from Ayutthaya to a site nearer to the sea , a move that would facilitate foreign trade, ensure the procurement of arms, and make defense and withdrawal easier in case of a renewed Burmese attack.
The rule of Taksin was not an easy one. The lack of central authority since the fall of Ayutthaya led to the rapid disintegration of the kingdom, and Taksin's reign was spent reuniting the provinces.
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