Jigme Dorji Wangchuck

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Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (May 2, 1929 – July 15/21, 1972) was the third king of Bhutan. He ended his country's isolation, introduced modernity, and took the first steps toward democratization. Upon succeeding his father, Jigme Wangchuck, on October 27, 1952, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck put an end to feudalism in the country and released all of the remaining serfs. He encouraged certain modern inventions to assist the local peasantry and introduced wheeled vehicles, where previously the transportation of crops and people was done manually.

In 1959, the People's Republic of China occupied Tibet, a country with which Bhutan had a long-established relationship. This encouraged the king to foster stronger ties with the outside world and culminated with Bhutan joining the United Nations in 1971. At the same time, he empowered the National Assembly to remove him and his successors with a two-thirds majority.

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck suffered his first heart attack at the age of twenty, and made frequent visits overseas for medical treatment. He died in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was receiving medical treatment in 1972, and was succeeded by his son, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

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