This research paper summarizes and analyzes the reformation and modernization of Thailand (Siam) during the Chakri Dynasty (1767-1910). Building on a long tradition of royal absolutism, the royal houses of the Chakri Dynasty, especially during the reigns of King Mongkut (Rama IV, r. 1851-1868) and King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, r. 1868-1910), adopted Western methods of administration and governance and adapted them to meet Thailand's needs. This modernizing effort improved the effectiveness and efficiency of the Thai government and helped it cope with the challenges and threats posed by the European imperialist powers. These changes were largely prompted by Western pressures; however, many other factors, some exogenous to Thailand, enabled it to maintain its independence during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Evolution of the Thai State Before 1767
Migration and consolidation. During the first millennium A.D. the Tai, a relatively homogenous ethnic group, migrated south and west from Yunnan (southern China) into the uplands of contemporary northern Thailand. Engaged in subsistence rice growing, Thai society for many centuries consisted of a network of villages or muangs. During the period 1219-1350, the first rudimentary Thai states came into being under strong rulers such as northern Lan Na King Mangrai (r. 1259-1317), and the southern plains Sukhotai King Ramkhamhaeng (r. 1279-1298), a kingdom Wyatt described as "a sort of super muang held together by pyramided personal loyalties" (A short 48).
The decline after 1300 of the great Khmer Empire in Cambodia created a power vacuum in mainland Southeast Asia which a consolidating Thai state partially filled. A series of Ayutthaya warrior-kings expanded its frontiers. In 1432 the Thais finally captured the Khmer capital of Angkor after "a century of nearly continuous warfare" (Wyatt a short 59). Siffin said that "the foundations of the [Thai] administrative system were lai...