France: Siamese (Thai) troops march through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in a victory...

The First World War had no direct impact on Siam (now known as Thailand), due to its great distance not only from Europe, but even from Germany's colonial territories in the Pacific and on the China Coast. However, the war did provide an opportunity for King Vajiravudh of Siam, Rama VI, to strengthen his country's position in the international arena, and to strengthen the position of the monarchy within the Thai state. Though it had been successful in maintaining its independence from the European colonial powers, Siam had been forced to cede Laos, Cambodia, plus its own four southernmost provinces, at the height of imperialism between 1889 and 1909, and had also had to grant extraterritorial rights to foreign citizens. Rama VI hoped to revise these unequal treaties by taking the side of the Allied Powers.