ABSTRACT
The State played an important role in Laos in mitigating the worst structural impact of the depression on the population facilitated also in this endeavour by a number of safety valve escape mechanisms largely intrinsic to the political economy, ecology and geography of the country. If far short of rebellion, the majority Lao population nevertheless revealed their dissatisfaction with expanded public works developments promoted by the State during the colonial years by defaulting upon their corvee obligations. For instance, a political report dating from late 1930 drew attention to the gathering complaints against corvee labour on RC 4 in Luang Prabang by the Lao population. Writing in 1966, Moore noted that the inhibiting role of religion apropos peasant revolt could be explained by some organic cosmology that conferred legitimacy on the role of the ruling classes in combination with some acceptance of the harmony of the universe and the acceptance of fate.
