Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram (1897-1964) served as Prime Minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and from 1948 to 1957. His terms of office spanned one of the most complex and turbulent periods in Thai history, coinciding with the outbreak of the Second World War and the intensification of the Cold War in Asia. Phibun, however, has never had a full and sympathetic treatment in Thai or English.

Historians have often blamed him for Thailand's tardy development of democracy, for the continuing prominence of the military element in Thai politics, and for the perpetuation of an authoritarian style of ruling.

This book, a painstakingly researched study based on recently available Thai primary and Western archival sources, as well as various secondary materials, seeks to redress that imbalance. Beginning with a detailed analysis of Phibun's character and intellectual style, it goes on to provide a sensitive and objective reassessment of his contributions to the development of modern Thailand, particularly in the areas of socio-cultural reform, internal politics, and foreign relations.