A Brief History Of Thailand

The history of Thailand, or its more recent roots can be traced back to the 11th Century when an there was and influx of Tai-Lao from Southern China.

Thailand's history has been quite turbulent with various ruling factions coming and going.

The most recent history of Thailand has shaped the country into the Buddhist nation it is today.

This stems from King Rama 1st (King Ramathibodi I) who introduced Buddhism to Thailand in the 19th Century to differentiate the Kingdom from Angkor, a neighbouring Hindu state.

He also introduced a system of law that helped to identify the nation as distinct from its neighbours.

Thailand was formerly know as Siam until abut 1939, when it adopted the name of Thailand. This became the official name in 1949. The history of Siam goes some way towards explaining the name change.

Siam was constantly under threat of colonialism in the 19th century and beyond as Britain expanded its empire in the Far East. Siam's neighbour Burma had fallen under British Control.

In 1939, Siam was unofficially known as Prathet Thai Prathet meaning 'nation' and Thai meaning 'free'. So Thailand managed to stay as a free state as its name suggests.

In 1932 a military coup unseated the absolute monarch and a period of authoritarian rule followed, headed by the Prime Minister Luang Phibulsongkram.

In 1946, King Rama VIII died leaving his younger brother Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)to inherit the throne, and he is still the King to this day.

Rama IX is now the world's longest serving monarch and is deeply respected by all parts of Thai society.

Although in theory the country is democratic, the 20th and 21st centuries has seen a series of military led governments inter-dispersed with brief periods of democracy.

The recent history of Thailand has shown it growing in popularity as a major tourist attraction bringing in much needed foreign currency.

However the country is still at odds with itself with some recent coups showing that the military factions are still not willing to relinquish complete control to the politicians.

The most recent disturbances were when the Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD), effectively closed down the main international airport and occupied Government house, not doing any favours to the tourist industry.

Overall, relatively few have been inconvinienced by these internal political games because the Thai Government is only too aware of the value of tourism.

We don't know anyone who has been affected, so go ahead and enjoy your Thailand travel experience.

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