Second, in 1927 Prince Damrong, drawing on ideas that had been devel oping within aristocratic circles, presented what would become the definitive statement of the characteristics of the Tha people 37 Damrong explained Thai dominance in Siam, going back 700 years, the basis of their posses sion of certain characteristics that on as "Love of he defined Independence, Toleration, and Power of Assimilation .38 As Damrong presented it, through love of national independence the Thais had success fully fended off threats to the nation; because of toleration for different beliefs and customs other races did not hate the Thais: and through clever assimilation of different cultures the Thai people gained the benefit of civilizations These characteristics of the imagined Thais, expressive of their 'Thainess would often be repeated right into the contemporary period. being articulated with the theme of statist democratic development One of the consequences of the rise of national discourse within the bowels of the monarchical state, and its continuance under the emergent authoritarian state was the disciplinary use of nationalism to stave off any challenges to power that might come from the growing non royalist fractions of the capitalist class, as well as potential political