A Brief History of Thailand
Monarchy, War and Resilience: The Fascinating Story of the Gilded Kingdom at the Heart of Asia

Krating Daeng, was a militant group, set up to terrorise protesting students and hunt down suspected communists in the early 70’s. It translates as Red Guar / Red Bull. A Sino Thai pharmacist called Chaleo Toovidhya created a pick me up fizzy drink and successfully advertised this drink throughout T......more

This was a very intriguing read, especially when looking at not only the history of the royal family but also the political parties as well. The explanation of The King and I was pretty interesting. I am also glad the author went in depth on the number of coups that occurred within the history of th......more

Absolutely fascinating, was a great read before traveling to Thailand.......more

Ruth’s aim in this work is to track the modernization of the Thai state from around the 18th century to the early 2010s. He briefly recounts the political and geographical influences that shaped the Thai society (and its interplay with its many ethnic neighbors). Once a general background has been e......more

The book gives a good overview of the history of modern Thailand, but doesn't really cover anything before the late 18th century. It would be better if the book had at least one chapter describing the earliest inhabitants of Thailand, where they came from, and what their different kingdoms were like......more