Abstract
This paper examines the fall of Thai absolutism. The paper argues that absolutism came to an end in what was Siam and is now modern Thailand because of a fundamental, internal contradiction. The research method employed is narrative and historical, tracing the period of Siamese development from the reign of King Chulalongkorn to the 1932 coup, which ended absolutism.

From the Paper
"Ian Morson stated that when King Chulalongkorn came to the throne in what was then Siam as Rama V, he was only 15 years old and the country was ruled by a regent who ensured that the young king would travel, during which time the king became impressed by many European ideas. King Chulalongkorn, when he assumed full power, was determined to create a modern state in order to reap the advantages of modernity for his country, leading him to create a modern army, a central government bureaucracy, a modernized Western style judiciary, and the rule of law as observed in the West. Simultaneously, however, the king also was determined upon maintaining absolutism and the traditional social order of the country driven by privilege that was based on birth."

Tags:chulalongkorn, rama, vajiravudh

Abstract
This paper discusses the weakness of Thai absolutism and looks at its rise and fall. The writer looks at the overthrow of Thai absolutism in 1932. The paper includes a narrative historical overview of the history of Thailand from the reign of King Chulalongkorn to the coup overthrowing the monarchy and putting an end to absolutism.

Tags:Thailand, history, absolutism, monarchy