History - Russell Family Web Page

To some, this demand was premature, but fortunately with the far-sightedness of King Prajadhipok and
his predecessors in particular King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) and King Vajiravudh (Rama VGI),
Thailand was not unprepared for this transition. While continuing the process launched by the two
previous kings, King Prajadhipok had every intention of accustoming the Thais to the Western system of
constitutional monarchy and had considered the eventuality of altering such form of government to the
people at an appropriate moment. Popular readiness, the King believed, was an important Ingredient to
success for such transition. It was only a matter of waiting for the right time.
On 10 December 1932, His Majesty King Prajadhipok signed Thailand first constitution and thus ended
700 years of Thailand absolute monarchy. Despite the number of successive constitutions that followed in
the span of just over half a century, the basic concepts of constitutional government and monarchy laid
down in the 1932 constitution have remained unaltered.
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