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Thailand's Political History: From the 13th century to recent times
First appearing in 2005 and quickly selling out, this fully revised edition of Thailand’s Political History continues in the same style as the first but with its scope dramatically widened. While the first edition began with a portrait of late Ayutthayan society, the new edition steps back to the thirteenth century, tackling some of the most topical and pressing historical debates at present. It discusses the development and evolution of the Siamese state from the early Sukhothai period through the fall of Ayutthaya to the rise of the Chakri dynasty in the late eighteenth century and its consolidation of power in the nineteenth. Moving into the twentieth century it traces the emergence of the Thai nation state, the large-scale investments in modern infrastructure and the concomitant economic expansion that have occurred since the 1950s onwards.
A new final chapter brings the reader up-to-date and addresses Thailand’s current political situation spanning the rise and fall of Thaksin Shinawatra to the divisive and at times violent polarisation of Thai society. It traces the emergence of the rival Yellow and Red shirt protest groups, the takeover of Suvarnabhumi International Airport by the PAD and the occupation of Ratchaprasong intersection by the UDD and their eventual violent dispersal by the Thai military.
Often at variance with the more dominant interpretations of nationalistic
history and with a strong reliance upon primary sources, Barend J. Terwiel’s
Thailand’s Political History makes a refreshing assessment of past events possible.
A new final chapter brings the reader up-to-date and addresses Thailand’s current political situation spanning the rise and fall of Thaksin Shinawatra to the divisive and at times violent polarisation of Thai society. It traces the emergence of the rival Yellow and Red shirt protest groups, the takeover of Suvarnabhumi International Airport by the PAD and the occupation of Ratchaprasong intersection by the UDD and their eventual violent dispersal by the Thai military.
Often at variance with the more dominant interpretations of nationalistic
history and with a strong reliance upon primary sources, Barend J. Terwiel’s
Thailand’s Political History makes a refreshing assessment of past events possible.
685 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 29, 2018
4.5 Stars....
A well written and well researched account of Thailand's political history from the fall of 'Ayutthaya' in the late 1700s...
It was Taksin who brought the capital south from Ayutthaya (after its Burmese invasion) to Thonburi (on the west side of Chao Phraya, a river adjacent to the village of Ban Kok)... Then it was Rama 1 who brought the capital over the river to its east bank, to modern day Bangkok as we know it.... The modernization of the city as well as the country, is shown by the rule of its monarchy up to Rama 9 who passed away in 2016...
Thailand (or Siam) was a powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia, which owned land in modern day Laos and Cambodia... Siam was the only country that was able to evade the 'colonization' of European settlers through two World Wars, the Opium War as well as the Vietnam war....
Siam was able to "play the game" with its neighbours, especially between the British who influenced Burma on the west and Vietnam who were influenced by the French in the east....
This was not a heavy book considering the amount of information, it was nice a read recommended for anyone interested in the politics of Thailand, or for that matter Southeast Asia...
A well written and well researched account of Thailand's political history from the fall of 'Ayutthaya' in the late 1700s...
It was Taksin who brought the capital south from Ayutthaya (after its Burmese invasion) to Thonburi (on the west side of Chao Phraya, a river adjacent to the village of Ban Kok)... Then it was Rama 1 who brought the capital over the river to its east bank, to modern day Bangkok as we know it.... The modernization of the city as well as the country, is shown by the rule of its monarchy up to Rama 9 who passed away in 2016...
Thailand (or Siam) was a powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia, which owned land in modern day Laos and Cambodia... Siam was the only country that was able to evade the 'colonization' of European settlers through two World Wars, the Opium War as well as the Vietnam war....
Siam was able to "play the game" with its neighbours, especially between the British who influenced Burma on the west and Vietnam who were influenced by the French in the east....
This was not a heavy book considering the amount of information, it was nice a read recommended for anyone interested in the politics of Thailand, or for that matter Southeast Asia...
September 10, 2018
I hadn't much knowledge about Thai history prior to reading this book, in other words I could not appreciate Terwiel's work at its fair value. I know that, he questioned and challenged several myths or orthodox stances in this book, that I could obviously not grasp.
Besides, I was a bit disappointed with the content as I expected more than a short survey of Thai history. I was in fact expecting a more extensive and detailed work rather than a quick survey. Due to this format, I found some sections to be unclear and puzzling.
However, I was still able to get to know the highlights and major figures of Thai history, which was the primary goal of my reading. I was particularly impressed by kings Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, especially their political moves to prevent Siam to endure Western colonization and their efforts to modernize their kingdom. I will certainly try to get to know more about those two figures in the coming times. I also found the Revolution of 1932 quite fascinating with the rise of thai nationalism which eventually led to the alliance with the Japanese.
To conclude, I may not say that reading this book was a bad experience, at the opposite, I got acquainted with a History, characters and events I was not even aware of. I deplore nonetheless, that the amount of information provided in this work was not extensive enough.
Besides, I was a bit disappointed with the content as I expected more than a short survey of Thai history. I was in fact expecting a more extensive and detailed work rather than a quick survey. Due to this format, I found some sections to be unclear and puzzling.
However, I was still able to get to know the highlights and major figures of Thai history, which was the primary goal of my reading. I was particularly impressed by kings Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, especially their political moves to prevent Siam to endure Western colonization and their efforts to modernize their kingdom. I will certainly try to get to know more about those two figures in the coming times. I also found the Revolution of 1932 quite fascinating with the rise of thai nationalism which eventually led to the alliance with the Japanese.
To conclude, I may not say that reading this book was a bad experience, at the opposite, I got acquainted with a History, characters and events I was not even aware of. I deplore nonetheless, that the amount of information provided in this work was not extensive enough.
December 15, 2017
An excellent primer for the history of Thailand from the end of the Ayutthaya period to the recent "Red Shirt/Yellow Shirt" political divide in the mid 2010s. B.J. Terwiel has managed to encapsulate the historical timeline from a primarily Thai vantage point, yet is not afraid to call into question when there are gaps or discrepancies in the historical record. The sidenotes are an excellent format for study, and I found that after reading a history book with the sidenotes vs. footnots, that it was actually more fluid to read and incorporated more in depth information, a perfect comprimise between footnotes and endnotes.
His sources contain a heavy balance of Thai writers, and his polyglot ability shines through in that historical sources from Dutch, German, French, and Italian are incorporated as well, giving a very balanced picture of the Western interactions with Thailand in the Chakri Dynasty.
The only two glaring flaws were (1) his loss of objectivity concerning the recent "Red Shirt/Yellow Shirt" political divide. It was clear his bias began to insert itself into what otherwise is a very objective book. (2) On page 277 he strayed from his objective analasys and fell into the "fascist label" trap when he was describing the opposing cliques forming in the late 1930s and transitioned into labeling military modernization focus "fascist".
Otherwise, I highly recommend Thailand's Political History for anyone interested in the longue duree of Thai history told with a minimum of presentism and Western bias.
His sources contain a heavy balance of Thai writers, and his polyglot ability shines through in that historical sources from Dutch, German, French, and Italian are incorporated as well, giving a very balanced picture of the Western interactions with Thailand in the Chakri Dynasty.
The only two glaring flaws were (1) his loss of objectivity concerning the recent "Red Shirt/Yellow Shirt" political divide. It was clear his bias began to insert itself into what otherwise is a very objective book. (2) On page 277 he strayed from his objective analasys and fell into the "fascist label" trap when he was describing the opposing cliques forming in the late 1930s and transitioned into labeling military modernization focus "fascist".
Otherwise, I highly recommend Thailand's Political History for anyone interested in the longue duree of Thai history told with a minimum of presentism and Western bias.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews