| Archeological evidence suggests that present-day Thailand may have been home to the first agriculturists in the world. Parts of Thailand, such as the Mekong River valley and Khorat Plateau, were inhabited over 10,000 years ago by Austro-Thai peoples from northern Vietnam and southern China. The migrant Thais established sovereign states under the rule of chieftains.
There are little to no written records or chronologies about Thailand from before the middle of the first millennium AD, so it is difficult to verify what kind of cultures existed during the un-recorded times. Thais seemed to have a special gift for being able to non-forcefully displace, assimilate or co-opt with indigenous populations of Tibeto-Burmans and Mon-Khmers when they would come across these groups during travel.
From the 9th to the 11th century AD, the area that is now central and western Thailand was occupied by a Mon civilization called Dvaravati. The Dvaravati brought Theravada Buddhism as their main religion. The Khmer Empire quickly took power by the 11th-12th century. Khmers easily controlled most of the trade routes through the Thailand-Indochina region. There are many theories as to the origin of the Thai race, but none of which can be confirmed at this time. The 13th – 15th centuries were ruled by Sukhothai, which is considered the “first Thai Kingdom.” Warfare and challenges continued through the rest of Thailand’s history moving it from kingdom to kingdom and constantly changing the boarders into present-day Thailand. Since 1932 Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy.
In 1941, during Japan’s invasion on Southeast Asia the Phibul government, which gained control in 1938, sided with Japan and declared war on the USA and Britain. However, the declaration was not delivered, as the Thai ambassador in Washington refused to do so. Military continued to have great control over the government, until 1991 when protestors were shot during military coup General Suchinda’s time in power, in which King Rma IX intervened and democracy was restored. Again though in 2006 military coup dismantled Thailand’s democratically elected government and sent the Prime Minister, Thaksin, into exile.
Thailand has a very interesting, mysterious and complicated history that has helped form it into the cultural wonder that it is today. |