History of Bangkok: Arrival of Western influence
Deckard
In the Third Reign of Rattanakosin, the Kingdom of Siam extended its
influence as far as Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. Hostilities
with Burma and Vietnam had ended, and trade with other countries,
including China, proceeded very successfully.
Thai culture was widely viewed as a civilised one, yet even in an era
of proud and ancient tradition, that historic culture was both at its
peak and slipping into decline.
The winds of change from the West that arrived in Siam while King Rama
III was on the throne shook Siamese society to its core. So great was
the political and economic power of the Western powers that Siam knew
it had to accept occidental influence just to maintain its freedom.
The King and his officials were of course the first to recognise the
depth of this influence, and the way they reacted would set the
standard for future generations. This was the beginning of what some
academics have called the era of 'neo-traditionalism'.
In 'Journal of an Embassy from the Governor General of India to the
Courts of Siam and Cochin-China', British envoy John Crawfurd observed
that the Siamese of Rama II’s day "both court officials and commoners
believed themselves to be civilised people. To them, China is the
great country, followed by Siam, Burma, Vietnam and the other
countries in Asia. The West is uncivilised."
By the mid-19th century, though, a change of attitude had become
essential. The Siamese were forced to pay more attention to the West
after Great Britain’s victory over Burma in 1825 and its subsequent
forays into China. There were also formidable new technologies being
brought from the West.
To Siam’s leaders, China had been omnipotent, Burma undefeatable, so
Britain’s successes struck them deeply, clearly necessitating detente
with a Western power that had previously been ignored.
Captain Henry Burney, who in 1825 was the British Indian government’s
emissary to Siam to deal with friendship and trading issues, wrote
that Siam’s leaders were eager to know everything about Great Britain,
especially its political institutions.
Historians now believe some Siamese leaders might have had a chance to
read John Crawfurd’s earlier chronicle, with its suggestion that
Britain might seize Bangkok, and they abruptly awakened to the danger.
The Kingdom’s focus on the West intensified quickly after Protestant
missionaries from America arrived on its shores.
Christian proselytisers had been coming since the Ayutthaya period,
but most were Catholic and interested only in spreading their faith.
They had met with little success because they lacked the support of
the country’s rulers, who based their power on Buddhism and Hinduism.
In any event, the King’s subjects were uninterested in Christianity
and couldn’t understand these utterly different foreigners. The
Siamese practised Buddhism and animism, as their ancestors had, and
were happy.
But then the first group of Protestant missionaries arrived from
America in 1833, led by John Taylor Jones. The Americans were
different from earlier Western clergymen. They brought technology and
knowledge about such matters as natural science, medicine, astronomy,
geography and printing.
With such a sea change evident in the way man looked at his universe,
it was inevitable that Siam would soon yield to, and then embrace, the
era of modernity.
_
Source: The Nation
Published on Oct 8, 2004
Regards,
Mort
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Vagabond
impression that the history of Western countries in Siam/Thailand
started in the Bangkok period. This is of course not so, it started
almost 300 years earlier with the arrival of the Portugese. The
Portugese came soon after year 1500 for trade, and missionaries came
too. Later the Dutch and the French were here.
One interesting question is if the fall of Ayuthaya in 1767 had
something to do with the isolation policy of Siam at the time. After
the farang "prime minister" to king Narai, Falcon Constance the Greek,
had tried to make Siam a French colony, the Auythaya kingdom shut the
doors to foreigners. But the resulting lack of trade and business hurt
Siam. Did this weakening pave the way for the Burmese victory? Which in
turn led to moving the capital to Bangkok?
I don't know, I am asking.
VB
Deckard
You're fully right!
Thai history's specialists have often a distorted view of their own
history IMHO. The Portugese were the first, therefore the most
important Westerners that the Siamese met. Firstly, they showed that
there were powerful enemies of the Muslims in the far West. Then they
brought to the Thais' ancestors a lot of new things, like the modern
maps, the trans-continental shipping lanes, the spices from the
'Indies' (and also Farang food), the art of warfare with guns and
cannons, etc.
The French of the 18th century never wanted to make Siam a French
colony; it was impossible for many technology's reasons, although it
was possible a century later! They only wanted to have an ally in Asia
against the Muslim states of the South and the other European kingdoms
(especially the perfidious Albion). The French quickly understood that
Ayuthaya was not as secure as the Siamese thought and chose instead
the village of Bangkok, at the mouth of the 'Ménam Riviere', as the
ideal place to build a fort with Vauban fortifications. Although the
Siamese got paranoid with the buildings, the fort of Bangkok was
impregnable by the Siamese army. The Burmese successful attack on
Ayuttaya a few years later and the choice of Bangkok by Taksin the
Great as his capital proved the French were right.
However, the article is right about one thing: the Siamese were
greatly impressed by the Farang power against the Moslim Malay states,
the kingdoms of Burma and later China, and they adapted their
diplomacy on a case by case basis.
Vagabond
the 18th century. There was still pressure to try to make France
colonise Siam, not least from missionaries who thought such a move
would be good for spreading Christianity. Falcon the Greek also wanted
French power in Siam, for his own selfish reasons as he was too
dependent on King Narai and wondered what would happen when this king
died. (Falcon had reason to worry, he was thrown to the tigers).
Not too flattering for Siam perhaps, but the idea of taking Ayuthaya
was rejected in Paris because there was no money in it.
The early history of Siam and the farangs is entertaining to read. Even
hundreds of years later I can recognise the particular Thai atmosphere
of intrigue and surprising events.
Vagabond
Takin Gthepiss
stumbled in message news:4311face...@news.free.fr... (where the fuck is
free france)...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Boring.................
Too bookish, you old senile goat from France.
Get lost and go play with your "boules" somewhere in the streets of France.
Or give us news about what you know the best, "the Thai numbers".
55555555555555555555555555555555
Or maybe your Chinese whore?
Now, that's something interesting for a change.
How is her AIDS going on?
Does she have already huge ugly spots on her ugly face?
Come on, dont be shy.
"Deckard" < Bl...@Runner.com> wrote in message
news:lg04p1hvkehoa16uq...@4ax.com...