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Government of Thailand Introduction The cour

The course of modernization, and democracy, in Thailand has not run smoothly. At this point, Thailand is operating under its 15th constitution, the latest of which was promulgated in 1991 by the National Peacekeeping Council of the coup regime. That constitution provided for a bicameral legislature and a constitutional monarchy, modeled on the system used in Great Britain. There are, however, many differences, both in structure and operation. The intention in this paper is to explore the development of the Thai governmental structure through looking at historical background and modern developments, followed by a brief discussion of contemporary politics.

There have been a number of empires, and civilizations in the Thai region beginning with the Funan Empire which flourished from approximately the first to sixth centuries A.D. This Empire was fundamentally Indian and extended far beyond the territory of modern Thailand. Following that, the Mon people established the independent kingdom of Dvaravati, separate from the Funan Empire. This, in its turn, became part of the Khmer Empire during the 11th century (Girling, 1981).

The Thai people themselves did not enter Thailand until after this time. Essentially, they were a minority population from southwest China which continued to move southward into the Khmer Empire. They overcame these Khmers (or Cambodians during the 14th century, establishing a Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya in 1350 (Girling, 1981).

The civilization that they created was an amalgamation of influences, including the political organization of the Khmers, the juridical and Buddhist orientation of the Mons and Burmans, and the customs of the tribal conquerors and indigenous peoples. What resulted was a civilization that was quite syncretic and remarkably open to outside influences, including the influence of the West and the continued influence of the Chinese (Girling, 1981).

The Thai monarchy dominated Thai...

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Government of Thailand Introduction The cour. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 21:56, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684046.html