The Political Development of Modern Thailand

346 Pages·2015·1.99 MB·English

by  Federico Ferrara

The Political Development of Modern Thailand
Based on extensive empirical research, The Political Development of
Modern Thailand analyses the country’s political history from the late
nineteenthcenturytothepresentday.Longknownforpoliticalinstabil-
ity,Thailandwasthrustintoadeepstateofcrisisbyaroyalistmilitary
coupstagedin2006.Sincethen,conservativeroyalistshaveoverthrown
more elected governments after violent street protests, while equally
disruptivedemonstrationsstagedbysupportersofelectoraldemocracy
were crushed by military force. Federico Ferrara traces the roots of
the crisis to unresolved struggles regarding the content of Thailand’s
nationalidentity,datingbacktotheabolitionofabsolutemonarchyin
1932. He explains the conflict’s re-intensification with reference to a
growingchasmbetweenthehierarchicalworldviewofThailand’shege-
monic‘royalnationalism’andtheaspirationsthatmillionsofordinary
peoplehavecometoharbourasaresultofmodernization.
Federico Ferrara is Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian
andInternationalStudiesattheCityUniversityofHongKong.

The Political Development of
Modern Thailand
Federico Ferrara
CityUniversityofHongKong
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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(cid:2)C FedericoFerrara2015
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permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2015
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Ferrara,Federico.
ThepoliticaldevelopmentofmodernThailand/FedericoFerrara.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.Thailand–Politicsandgovernment. I.Title.
JQ1745.F47 2015
320.9593–dc23 2014038238
ISBN978-1-107-06181-1Hardback
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Ai miei.
Itisagoodworkingruletobesuspiciousaboutpoliticalandintellectual
leaderswhotalkmainlyaboutmoralvirtues;manypoordevilsareliable
tobebadlyhurt.
–BarringtonMoore
Contents
Listoffiguresandtables page viii
Preface xi
1 Unfinishedbusiness 1
2 Thebirthof‘Thainess’ 39
3 Revolutionforsworn 75
4 Theageofbetrayal 109
5 Thegooddictatorship 145
6 Riseofthepoliticians 183
7 Barbariansatthegate 220
8 Stateofunexception 266
Bibliography 296
Index 323
vii
Figures and tables
Figures
Map TheKingdomofThailand page ix
1.1 Thailand’sFreedomHouseratings,1972–2013 7
1.2 Thairegimesandincomepercapita,1929–2012 26
7.1 Provincialincomepercapitaandethno-linguisticdiversity 253
7.2 ElectionperformanceofpartiesledorbackedbyThaksin
Shinawatra 254
Tables
6.1 Thailand’spartysystem,1975–1988 200
6.2 Thailand’sgeneralelections,1992–1996 214
7.1 Thailand’sgeneralelections,2001–2005 226
7.2 Thailand’sgeneralelections,2007–2011 242
viii