History of Thailand
| History of Thailand |
|---|
This article details a summary of the History of Thailand, starting from the founding of Sukhothai, the first truly “Tai” kingdom. Though the Tai people had migrated to and inhabited the area and state of Lavo in small numbers before this, kingdoms considered “Thai” would not be founded until Sukhothai was founded and Lavo was separated from the Khmer Empire by Suphannabhum princes.
In Northern Thailand, which is the oldest region in Thailand, the main ethnic group Tai-Yuan established their own kingdoms: the semi-legendary Singhanavati Kingdom (691 BCE–638 CE) evolved into the Ngoenyang Kingdom (638–1292). In 1220, the Khmer controlled Sukhothai was conquered by the Thais and made the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. By 1220, the long declining Khmer Empire was mostly overrun by Thais. By the 13th century, the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438) had replaced the Mon kingdoms in Central Thailand. During the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Thai script was created in 1283, the arts flourished, Thai institutions were developed, and people called themselves "Thai" as freed people from foreign rule.
In 1351, the Suphannabhum city-state (modern-day Suphan Buri), and Lavo city-state (modern-day Lop Buri) merged into the Ayutthaya Kingdom (Tai-Yuan from the Northern+Monic from Chao Phra Ya river basin = Siamese Kingdom) which was founded near the Chao Phraya River. Duarte Fernandes was the first European to arrive in Ayutthaya in 1511.
There were 26 Burmese-Siamese wars from the 16th to the early 19th century. The Ayuthaya Kingdom collapsed when the capital Ayutthaya city was sacked during Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767). General Taksin expunged the Burmese, reunified the 5 warring regional states and established the shortlived Thonburi Kingdom in 1767. Taksin was disposed by the Thonburi military commander Chao Phraya Chakri who subsequently founded the Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932). At its greatest extent in 1805-1812 the Rattanakosin Kingdom consisted of 25 polities including modern-day Cambodia, Laos, northern Malaysia and eastern Burma.
King Mongkut (Rama IV) embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of Thailand. During European colonization of Southeast Asia (1511-1984) only Thailand remained independent. This was due to multiple factors: the centralizing and modernization reforms enacted by King Chulalongkorn, a political policy which balanced British and French colonial interests, King Rama V made diplomatic visits to Europe in 1897 and 1907, large territorial concessions to French Indochina, and the French and British maintained Siam as a buffer state to avoid conflicts between their colonies. An 1874 edict was issued for reforms which abolished slavery in 1905.
Siam became an ally of the United Kingdom in 1917 and joined the Allies of World War I. The Siamese revolution of 1932 ended centuries of absolute monarchy. The government changed to a constitutional monarchy with King Prajadhipok (Rama VII). The country name was formally changed to Thailand which means “Land of the Free” in 1939. The Franco-Thai War in 1940-1941 resulted in the Thai annexation of disputed territories in Cambodia and Laos of French Indochina. During World War II, Thailand was initially neutral, but joined the Axis after the Japanese invasion of Thailand on 8 December 1941. Thailand annexed disputed territories in Burma (Saharat Thai Doem), and Malaysia (Sirat Malai). After World War II these territories were ceded in return for admission to the United Nations, dropping all wartime claims and U.S. aid.
During the 70-year reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand had 10 coups with military governments and 17 constitutions. During the Vietnam War in 1962, Thailand permitted the United States to use bases and Thai troops fought in South Vietnam. In 1965, the CPT began the Communist insurgency which was won by the Thai Government in 1973.
Thailand was a founding member of ASEAN in 1967. The 1970s peasant revolts in Thailand to reduce the debt of farmers and for fair rice prices lead to the enactment of the Land Rent Control Act (LRCA) in Dec 1974. Thailand had unprecedented economic growth from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis caused many bankruptcies and unemployment. However, there was a quick recovery in 1998-1999. In 2000, candidates were democratically elected for the Senate for the first time. The world's largest parliamentary building; the Sappaya-Sapasathan was completed on 1 May 2021.