One of the themes of the book is the emergence of the modern Thai nation from the kingdom, which, in its turn, had developed as a dominant power from a group of smaller kingdoms and polities that occupied the region in earlier periods. The conscious selection of ideas, such as the dewt raja. King Trailok's deliberate adoption of an Indic form of administration, King Chulalongkorn's modernisation of the administration on a western model, are all topics dealt with here, demonstrating the deliberate choice and use of political ideas that have played their part in the evolution of Thailand.