Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Glossary
- Chronology
- 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 Globalization and mass society, 1970s onwards
- 9 A political society, 1970s onwards
- Postscript: The strong state and the well-being of the people
- Notes
- Reigns and prime ministers
- Glossary of names
- Readings
- Index
2 - The old order in transition, 1760s to 1860s
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Glossary
- Chronology
- 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 Globalization and mass society, 1970s onwards
- 9 A political society, 1970s onwards
- Postscript: The strong state and the well-being of the people
- Notes
- Reigns and prime ministers
- Glossary of names
- Readings
- Index
Summary
Although the capital was physically destroyed, Ayutthaya represented traditions of trade and rule that were not easily erased. Over the next 15 years a new capital emerged further down the Chao Phraya River at Thonburi-Bangkok, a site with better chaiyaphum for trade and defence. Members of the old elite dramatized Bangkok as a revival of Ayutthaya. But in fact much was very different. This era of war extended the Siamese armies’ influence farther to the north, south, and east than ever before. Forced movements of people transformed the ethnic mix in the Chao Phraya plain. The great noble households that survived the crisis became the dominant force in the polity.
The major change was in the economy. The trading connections with China, begun in the early 18th century, were resumed and reinforced. The market economy expanded rapidly in the Chao Phraya plain and down the peninsula, driven largely by importation of Chinese enterprise and labour. The growth of the market economy began to remake the social structure and change the mentality of the elite. The return of Europeans bringing ideas of ‘progress’ and threats of colonial rule prepared the ground for an era of change.
FROM AYUTTHAYA TO BANGKOK
Within a very short time, several pretenders emerged to occupy the vacancy left by the obliteration of the city and dynasty of Ayutthaya. Among these, Phaya Taksin emerged as strongest. His origins are obscure. Possibly he was the son of a Teochiu Chinese migrant gambler or trader and his Thai wife. Possibly he became a provincial cart trader and bribed his way to governorship of the border town of Tak. He thus had no traditional claims to rule but was a leader of great charisma. He gathered around him other Chinese traders, sundry adventurers, and minor nobles.
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- Information
- A History of Thailand , pp. 25 - 45Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014