A Second Introduction

 

Or, The Colonial Era in Southeast Asian History Begins

The previous episode of the podcast finished the early modern era of Southeast Asian history (1500 to 1800), and now it is time to begin covering the colonial era (1800 to 1965).  But first we need to learn what changed the relationship between Europe and Southeast Asia, and what made the Europeans boldly march in to take over the region, after they had sat on the periphery for the past three hundred years.  Because this explanation is a bit too long to tack onto a regular episode, it is presented here as a special mini-episode.  Listen to this, and expect the narrative to resume with the next episode, on or near June 1.

https://www.blubrry.com/hoseasia/23699242/episode-21-a-second-introduction/

Eighteenth-Century Burma & Siam

Or, The Fall of Ayutthaya and the Rise of Bangkok

The latest episode covers another round in the ongoing conflict between Myanmar and Thailand, or as they were called before the twentieth century, Burma and Siam.  At the height of the fighting, the Burmese utterly destroyed Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam.  But this wasn’t the end of Siam; the Siamese kings move first to Thonburi, then to Bangkok, and the kingdom recovered with amazing speed.

https://www.blubrry.com/hoseasia/23252612/episode-20-eighteenth-century-burma-siam/