When European imperialism brought a new phase in Southeast Asian commerce in the late 1800s, Thailand (known then as Siam) was able to maintain its independence as a buffer zone between British-controlled Burma to the west and French-dominated Indochina to the east, but losing over 50% of its territory in the process.
Ketika imperialisme Eropa membawa fase baru perdagangan di Asia Tenggara di akhir tahun 1800-an, Thailand (kemudian dikenal sebagai Siam) mampu mempertahankan kemerdekaannya sebagai zona penyangga antara Burma yang dikuasai Inggris di barat dan dominasi Prancis Indochina di timur, tapi kehilangan lebih dari 50% wilayahnya dalam proses.