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 4 - Peasants, merchants, and officials, 1870s to 1930s
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
The nation-state was new. So too were its citizens, as a result of two sweeping social changes. Beginning in the early 19th century, the landscape and society of the lower Chao Phraya basin were transformed by a frontier movement of peasant colonization. Uniquely in Asia, new land was being opened up faster than the population was growing from the mid-19th century right through to the 1970s. As a result of political decisions in the late 19th century, this frontier society was characterized not by landlords but by peasant smallholders. Until urbanization accelerated in the last quarter of the 20th century, this peasant smallholder society represented four-fifths of the population and was the main driving force of the economy.
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- A History of Thailand , pp. 90 - 115Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022