Siam to Thailand
The kingdom that was never colonised was known to the world as Siam until 1939, when a nationalist military premier renamed it after its majority people, the Thai, a word meaning “free”. After the Second World War it briefly became Siam again, and in 1949 the same premier made it Thailand for good.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 28 September 2026Suggest a correction
- Siamofficial until 1939, and again 1945–1949
- Thailand1939–1945, and from 1949
Siam
Siam, as the country was officially called until 1939, was never brought under European colonial rule. It was an absolute monarchy until a revolution in 1932.[1]
Land of the free
Luang Phibunsongkhram, a field marshal who rose to prominence after the 1932 revolution, became premier in 1938 and set about mobilising the country with ultranationalist views. In 1939 he renamed Siam Thailand.[2]
Thai means “free”, and it is also the name of the people who make up most of the population.[3] After Japan invaded in 1941, Phibun allied with it and in January 1942 declared war on the United States and Britain; his government fell in July 1944.[2]
Siam again, briefly
When the war ended, the country changed its name back to Siam in September 1945, part of the price of peace. Phibun returned as premier in 1948, and on 11 May 1949 his government restored the name Thailand, which it has kept since.[3][2]
“Siam, as Thailand was officially called until 1939, was never brought under European colonial domination.”[1]
Timeline
Sources
- [1]Thailand · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- [2]Luang Phibunsongkhram · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- [3]Siam Changes Its Name to Thailand · EBSCO Research Starters
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.