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British and American Influence in Post-War Thailand
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 August 2009
Extract
From the opening of Thailand (Siam) to the West in the middle of the nineteenth century until World War II the dominant European influence in thissmall independent country was that exerted by Great Britain. Although other Europeans played important roles in the technological and administrative development of Thailand, the British were able to retain a pre-eminent position in the affairs of the country. The bulk of Thailand's rice trade was with the British empire, and a British expert was traditionally employed by the Thai absolute monarchs as their leading financial adviser. The British likewise played a vital role in preventing the French from seizing larger territories in Thailand as these two leading colonial powers clashed in Southeast Asia in the 1890's. An agreement between Great Britain and France in 1896 enabled Thailand to retain its national independence, and until World War II Thailand served as a buffer state between the British colonialists in Burma and the French colons in Indochina.
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- Copyright © The National University of Singapore 1963
References
1. Just prior to the outbreak of World War II Pridi assumed the position as Regent for the absent boy-king, Ananda Mahidol. This move was probably initiated by Phibun to reduce Pridi's influence in the government at a time he knew they would hold widely divergent views on Thailand's participation in the war.
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