A history of Thailand

Since it was first published in 2005, A History of Thailand has been hailed as an authoritative, lively and readable account of Thailand's political, economic, social and cultural history. From the early settlements in the Chao Phraya basin to today, Baker and Phongpaichit trace how a world of mandarin nobles and unfree peasants was transformed by colonialism, the expansion of the rice frontier and the immigration of traders and labourers from southern China. This book examines how the monarchy managed the foundation of a new nation-state at the end of the nineteenth century, and how urban nationalists, ambitious generals, communist rebels and business politicians competed to take control through the twentieth century. It tracks Thailand's economic changes, globalisation and the evolution of mass society, and draws on popular culture to dramatize social trends. This edition contains a new chapter on Thailand's turbulent politics since 2006 and incorporates new sources and research throughout.

1. Before Bangkok; 2. The old order in transition, 1760s to 1860s; 3. Reforms, 1850s to 1910s; 4. Peasants, merchants, and officials, 1870s to 1930s; 5. Nationalisms, 1910s to 1940s; 6. The American era and development, 1940s to 1960s; 7. Ideologies, 1940s to 1970s; 8. Globalisation and mass society, 1970s to 2000s; 9. Politics contested, 1970s to 2000s; 10. Troubles, 2005 to 2021; Postscript: Thailand's future.