The thai case is a particularly fit subject for addition to the burgeoning literature of development. Thailand is not one of the "new nations." more than six hundred years of history are part of the thai heritage, and the last hundred of them have been marked by conscious efforts at modernization. one can look for outcomes in a study of the thai case. at the same time,thailand remains in the category of 'traditional' nations. the study of contemporary thai political characteristics and the manner in which they emerged is relevant to broader studies of uncompleted movements towards modernity.