Thailand stands as the only nation in the South East Asia that withstood the colonial pressure. Throughout the colonial struggle and partition of territories, Thailand kingdom remained independent. It maintained a political and territory sovereignty that helped it survive the colonial era. However, this kingdom retained several non-Western and pre-capitalist aspects of economic, political and social organizations thus giving it a very complex development set up. Prior to the colonial era, the Thai kingdom experienced a period of impressive economic development coupled by territory expansion.
Political and social sovereignty are very important ingredients for economic development of any country. Lack of political affiliation with any colonial powers gave Thailand a very humble ground to develop her economy. In most countries in which colonial rule was applied, a lot of economic over-exploited was unavoidable. Resistance of the colonial rule therefore implies that this territory had all the freedom tho exploit and allocate their natural resources according to their needs. For instance, the Thai rich mineral and petroleum deposits that the Thailand people still enjoy today would have become history if they welcomed colonial rule. The colonial powers were driven by uncontrollable greed for raw materials to sustain their industrial explosion back home. The retention of control on the Thai natural resources has led to sustainable economic, social and political development throughout the past years.
Colonial rule was marked with a lot of civil wars and political unrest as the colonial subjects tried to defend their countries and people from the colonial rule. Nearly all the countries that fell under colonial rule suffered civil wars and unrest. This unrest further triggered political instability that normally does not go well with economic development in any country.
Thailand on the other hand enjoyed a long period of political stability that gave her a more favorable environment for economic development. As other countries were busy struggling with their colonial masters over power and resources, the Thai people were busy building their roads, expanding their trade borders and developing their social and political status.
In conclusion, political and social freedom is very essential for the development of any country. With all these at the disposal of the Thai government, this South Asian country had a very flourishing economy. So this colonial independence worked miracles for the the development of this country.
Bibliography
Dixon, Chris J. The Thai Economy: Uneven Development and Internationalization. illustrated.
London: Routledge, 1999.
