By gracefully and gradually acceding to such territorial demands, Chulalongkom preserved Thai independence, particularly in the vital Menam Chao Phya basin. Eventually, the British and French realized an independent Thailand could be a useful buffer between their colonies. With this pressure removed, Chulalongkorn was free to concentrate on his ceaseless efforts to modernize.

Ever pragmatic, Chulalongkorn was critically selective in his choice of reforms, so that unlike other countries where modernization erased traditional values, Thailand's reforms caused minimal social dislocation.

Emulating his father, Chulalongkom made the monarchy more visible. His first official act as king had been to abolish the requirement that people prostrate them-selves in his presence, explaining that such prostration merely humiliated commoners and induced kingly arrogance. Moreover, Chulalongkorn travelled extensively throughout Thailand, often openly, some-times incognito, to personally investigate and share his subjects' conditions and aspirations.

By the time of his death in 1910, he had transformed Thailand and, today he is the most honoured of Thai kings. The anniversary of his death, October 23, is an annual national holiday on which Thais from all walks of life lay wreaths at his equestrian statue in the Royal Plaza fronting Bangkok's first parliament building.

Chulalongkom's Oxford-educated son, Vajiravudh (Rama VI) continued his father's and grandfather's reforms. He established Chulalongkom University to honour his father and founded Vajiravudh College, a boarding school for boys modelled on English public schools. He also supported the Red Cross, founded the Thai Boy Scouts, and in 1916 ordered his subjects to adopt surnames, personally coining many of the Thai family names in existence today.

Vajiravudh supported the Allies in the First World War by sending a Thai expeditionary force to Europe, and, a skilled writer and poet, fostered Thai nationalism by re-presenting stories that glorified ancient Thai heroes and culture in a stream of plays, essays and newspaper articles written under several pen names.

In 1925, Vajiravudh was succeeded by his half-brother, Prajadhipok who, never expecting or wanting to be king, was not prepared for the task. Whereas Vajiravudh had been a colourful, strong-willed autocrat, the Eton-educated Prajadhipok was more liberal, sharing his power with an advisory board of conservative princes whose main interest was to preserve the status quo.

King Prajadhipok's reign was beset by financial crises. King Vajiravudh had instigated sweeping and intensive modernization programmes which had eaten so deeply into the country's Treasury as to make Thailand very vulnerable to the world depression of the early 1930's. Despite his strenuous efforts, Prajadhipok was incapable of holding off the crisis with the result that unemployment rose and salary reductions were implemented just at a time when national hopes for a better future were running high.

Thailand's economic malaise exacerbated the frustrations of returning Thai students who had embraced democratic ideals during their European schooldays and who were genuinely dismayed by what they felt was unresponsive royal monopoly of power. Dissent gradually grew and in June 1932, nearly 700 years of absolute monarchy ended with a bloodless coup organized by middle level cicilian and mill tary officers.

King Prajadhipok continued his reign as a constitutional monarch. A permanent Constitution was promulgated on December 10, 1932, entrusting him with several prerogatives. However, his power was more apparent than real and during the subsequent three years he tired of what he felt was self-serving posturing by politicians and abdicated in 1935 with 'sad relief, the government accepting with 'profound regret'. Shortly thereafter, the government elected Prajadhipok's nephew, the ten-year-old Prince Ananda Mahidol, then studying in Switzerland, to be king and a Council of Regents was appointed to rule until he became of age.