Opposing French Colonialism

Abstract

It has been generally accepted that having been able to maintain its independence during the age of colonialism, Thailand had no need to be involved in the struggle to throw off the region's colonial shackles. However, having lost more than half of its territory to France and Britain by 1909, Thailand, in common with the other countries of South East Asia, had a vested interest in liberating the region from the European colonial system. Based mainly on Thai primary sources, this study brings out the Thai role in the origins of Indo-China's liberation movements, and endeavours to show that Thailand was an important player in the anticolonial struggle against the French in the 1940s.