Abstract
The article deals with the developments in Siam during the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI.) in the years 1910-1925. It summarizes some of the steps the king has undertaken to modernize the Siamese state and to create a new Thai national identity as well as the reaction to these efforts and their general reception.
The second part of the article focuses on the reasons for the entry of Siam into World War I and on the practical gains (mainly the renegotiation of the existing unequal treaties) that Siam made in the post-war years.