ABSTRACT
In line with provisions in a secret protocol to the treaty of alliance with Japan, Thailand took over territories in Burma and Malaya that had been ceded to the British in the late nineteenth century. During the 1950s, the police became heavily involved in the opium trade in northern Thailand as well as in other forms of corruption. The members of the Free Thai were, in addition, to provide support for an important post-war political movement. The coup of 1947 changed the parameters of Thai political life. In 1955-1957, Phibun Songkhram pushed through parliament new democratic reforms to enable a wider sector of the populace to participate in the political life of the country. Although the king's action forced the military from then on to share power with civilian politicians, including representatives from the vocal urban middle classes, its most significant effect was to reverse the relationship between monarch and government that had existed since the 1932 Revolution.
