The purpose of this dissertation is to study the status, establishment and administration of Chinese schools in Monthon Krungthep and their relation with the Siamese government from 1918 (Private School Act effected) until 1932, when a revolution transformed Siam from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. Chinese schools in Siam were educational institutes, which taught children the language of their ancestral homeland and assumingly, Chinese nationalism. For this reason, the Siamese government promulgated laws to control Chinese schools, resulting in further violations of such laws and regulations from the Chinese. Findings reveal that educational and political values, which China embodied during that period, strongly influenced Chinese schools in Siam. By ruling out Thai in the curriculum and concentrating on the Chinese language and political teachings - this became a great threat to the Siamese government. As a result the Private School Act of 1918 was introduced. This law made the Thai language an integral part of the educational system and also banned the teaching of Chinese political values, which the Siamese government thought would greatly endanger Siam’s socio-political stability. However, The Siamese government were unable to fully control Chinese educational establishments because they lacked scholars of Chinese languages as well as the weakly enforced penalties put in place. This was due to the government’s fear of the wealthy Chinese who dominated the economy of Siam.
