Book contents
- A History of Thailand
- Acknowledgement of Country
- A History of Thailand
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Illustrations
- Abbreviations
- Glossary
- Chronology
- Artist’s statement – cover image
- Chapter 1 Before Bangkok
- Chapter 2 The old order in transition, 1760s to 1860s
- Chapter 3 Reforms, 1850s to 1910s
- Chapter 4 Peasants, merchants, and officials, 1870s to 1930s
- Chapter 5 Nationalisms, 1910s to 1940s
- Chapter 6 The American era and development, 1940s to 1960s
- Chapter 7 Ideologies, 1940s to 1970s
- Chapter 8 Globalization and mass society, 1970s to 2000s
- Chapter 9 Politics contested, 1970s to 2000s
- Chapter 10 Troubles, 2005 to 2021
- Postscript
- Notes
- Glossary of names
- Reigns and prime ministers
- Readings
- Index
Chapter 6 - The American era and development, 1940s to 1960s
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 April 2022
- A History of Thailand
- Acknowledgement of Country
- A History of Thailand
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Illustrations
- Abbreviations
- Glossary
- Chronology
- Artist’s statement – cover image
- Chapter 1 Before Bangkok
- Chapter 2 The old order in transition, 1760s to 1860s
- Chapter 3 Reforms, 1850s to 1910s
- Chapter 4 Peasants, merchants, and officials, 1870s to 1930s
- Chapter 5 Nationalisms, 1910s to 1940s
- Chapter 6 The American era and development, 1940s to 1960s
- Chapter 7 Ideologies, 1940s to 1970s
- Chapter 8 Globalization and mass society, 1970s to 2000s
- Chapter 9 Politics contested, 1970s to 2000s
- Chapter 10 Troubles, 2005 to 2021
- Postscript
- Notes
- Glossary of names
- Reigns and prime ministers
- Readings
- Index
Summary
After the Second World War, the US became a new foreign patron more intrusive than anything Siam had experienced in the colonial era. While Britain had focused on its colonies and had never taken more than peripheral interest in Siam, the US seized on Thailand as an ally and base for opposing the spread of communism in Asia. To build Thailand’s capability for this role, the US helped to revive and strengthen the military rule, which had faltered at the close of the Second World War, and supported a revival of the monarchy. To consolidate Thailand’s membership of the ‘free world’ camp in the Cold War, the US promoted ‘development’, meaning primarily economic growth through private capitalism. To achieve ‘national security’, US funding helped to push the mechanisms of the nation-state more deeply into society than before.
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- A History of Thailand , pp. 155 - 186Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022