Bangkok Transformed

A history of the economic evolution of the city of Bangkok. For much of its early history, Bangkok was little more than a riverside settlement, yet by the mid-twentieth century, it had become the commercial and political heart of Thailand. Bangkok Transformed deciphers this progress, outlining how the city’s economy and urban landscape were shaped by global trade and royal intervention. As the rice trade boomed, Chinese immigrants poured in, forming the backbone of Bangkok’s labor force and entrepreneurial class. Meanwhile, the Siamese monarchy, particularly under King Chulalongkorn, wielded economic power through state-run enterprises and control over key industries. These forces propelled Bangkok into modernity but also left behind a centralized governance structure that continues to influence the city today. Written by Thailand’s foremost economic historian, Porphant Ouyyanont, and completed posthumously by historian Chris Baker, this meticulously researched study offers an innovative economic and social history of Bangkok. Spanning from the early nineteenth century to 1950, it displays how the foundations of contemporary Bangkok were laid in its first great transformation.