Political Turmoil and the Reforms of Rama V
King Rama V, the husband of Queen Sunandha, is remembered for being a progressive ruler who instituted many reforms to Siamese culture. At the time of his reign, from 1868 until 1910, Western powers, notably France and Great Britain, were colonizing much of the eastern world. Much of the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia were under colonial rule, meaning that their resources were exploited, many of the people practically enslaved, and the country largely pillaged to benefit the colonizing country.
India provides a case study on how damaging colonial rule was; while the British justified it by claiming that they were acting in benevolence and out of a paternalistic concern, British companies — most notably the British East India Company — were filling their pockets with profits made from cheap labor and exploitation of the natural resources. The Indian people were forced to work so hard for the colonial overlords that they had little left over to take care of themselves. Today, many of the problems in modern India can be traced back to the harsh effects of colonial rule.
Siam’s king was intent on making sure that his country did not fall into the hands of the would-be colonialists.
Additionally, political turmoil towards the beginning of his reign led King Rama V to believe that he needed to curb the de facto power of the aristocracy. As such, he introduced many reforms that helped consolidate his rule while also benefiting the ordinary people of Siam. One of his first reforms was the establishment of an auditory office for tax collection, a duty that had previously been performed by corrupt tax collectors. This move took much revenue away from the aristocracy and thereby effectively limited their power.
The king created the Royal Military Academy to train a Western-style military that would protect the kingdom and help centralize his rule. He abolished slavery — citing the bloodbath of the American Civil War and wanting to avoid that in his own land — and instituted democratic reforms, turning the Kingdom of Siam into a constitutional monarchy that gave the people a voice in their government. He also allowed dissenting, radical voices to be published and released people who had been political prisoners.
There were additional ancient, or at least very old, traditions that Rama V also abolished. The corvee system required ordinary people to provide free labor for the government for a certain number of days each year; this was effectively removed. He also despised the system of prostration, in which people who approached royalty had to prostrate themselves to the ground until their business with the royal was complete. The act of prostration could be physically taxing and was also dehumanizing, elevating, as the king believed, the members of the royal family at the expense of the commoners.
One ancient tradition that he did not reform, at least not until it was too late, was that no one was allowed to touch a royal.