Economy and Trade in Thonburi and the Early Rattanakosin Periods

Abstract

Economy and Trade in Thonburi and the early Rattanakosin periods were a self-sufficiency economy which integrated with trade until wealth occurred in the upper levels of the social structure, but did not spread to the commoners. However, there were only some groups that participated in trade activities. The purpose of this research is to answer the questions of who did commercial activities in those periods and whether it should be considerded an investment. Most of the trades in those periods were run by the Phra khlang Sinkha, the court's agency, who took good care of, and managed business for the court. The results of the research showed that the expansion of trade both internally and externally led to the emergence of entrepreneurial activities and also groups of invests such as the Chinese merchants and the elite groups. Many factors contribuled to the promotion of trades such as shipbuilding and currency use.