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Pan-Thaiism (otherwise known as Pan-Taiism, the pan-Thai movement, etc.) is an ideology that flourished in
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
during the 1930s and 1940s. It was a form of
irredentism Irredentism () is one State (polity), state's desire to Annexation, annex the territory of another state. This desire can be motivated by Ethnicity, ethnic reasons because the population of the territory is ethnically similar to or the same as the ...
, with the aim of political unification of all
Thai people Thai people, historically known as Siamese people, are an ethnic group native to Thailand. In a narrower and ethnic sense, the Thais are also a Tai peoples, Tai ethnic group dominant in Central Thailand, Central and Southern Thailand (Siam prope ...
within Thailand,
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
,
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
, and
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, into a greater Thai state, sometimes referred to as the Great Thai Empire (, ). Prior to the revolution of 1932, which replaced the absolute monarchy with a constitutional one, the Thai government had pursued good relations with the imperial powers, Britain and France, that ruled its neighbours: Burma, Malaya, Cambodia, and Laos; anti-colonial sentiment had been actively discouraged. However, the military government that came to power in 1938, under
Plaek Phibunsongkhram Plaek Phibunsongkhram; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964) was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Kh ...
, actively sought to restore Thai "lost" territories; it also aggressively promoted pan-Thaiism. The intellectual architect of the new
Thai nationalism Thai nationalism is a political ideology involving the application of nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to pr ...
was Wichit Wathakan. The country officially changed its name from Siam to Thailand, with the word "Thai" being interpreted in an idiosyncratic way, not only referring to speakers of Central Thai (Siamese) or even
Tai languages The Tai, Zhuang–Tai, or Daic languages (Ahom language, Ahom: π‘œπ‘œͺπ‘œ¨ π‘œ„π‘œ© or π‘œπ‘œ¨π‘œ‰π‘œ« π‘œ„π‘œ© ; ; or , ; , ) are a branch of the Kra–Dai languages, Kra–Dai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spo ...
generally, but to all those who had once been under the
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locall ...
and Rattanakosin kingdoms.Paul Kratoska and Ben Batson, "Nationalism and Modernist Reform", in Nicholas Tarling (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Volume 2, Part 1: From c. 1800 to the 1930s'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 305. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Thailand was able to take advantage of the defeat of France in Europe to seize territory in Cambodia and Laos in a brief war. Following the December 1941
Japanese invasion of Thailand The Japanese invasion of Thailand (, ; ) occurred on 8 December 1941. It was briefly fought between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Empire of Japan. Despite fierce fighting in Southern Thailand, the fighting lasted only five hours before ending ...
, Thailand made common cause with the Japanese and occupied parts of Burma and
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
. Thai rule was not generally welcomed by the subject populations, however. In Laos especially, French authorities promoted rhetoric and reforms of "renovating" Lao culture under Governor-General of Indochina
Jean Decoux Jean Decoux (; 5 May 1884 – 21 October 1963) was a French Navy admiral who was the Governor-General of French Indochina from July 1940 to 9 March 1945, representing the Vichy French government. Early life and naval career Decoux was born in B ...
, but this was mainly used to dampen the appeal of Pan-Thaiism and strengthen Lao cooperation within the French colonial system rather than develop any sense of Lao separatist nationalism. Nonetheless, a counter-irredentism emerged among Lao nationalists, who aimed to bring much of northern Thailand under Lao rule. Few of Thailand's new subjects identified as "Thai" in any sense. The war ended in Thailand's defeat and the overthrow of the military government, and Thailand returned to its pre-war borders as last adjusted in the
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam signed on 10 March 1909, in Bangkok. Ratifications were exchanged in London on 9 July 1909, and the treaty established t ...
.


References

{{Irredentism Political movements in Asia Irredentism Thai nationalism Thailand in World War II