The scope of bureaucracy also became far wider than before, thus more areas were taken care of. In Burma, at the turn of the century, a series of bureaucratic reforms saw the creation of a number of functionally specific areas, which had previously been only vaguely distinguished. By creating bureaucracies and administrative bodies which were modern, it brought Southeast Asia to a whole new body of political development and also allowed the Europeans to effectively manage the exploitation process, in which personal ties and followings which were main features of the old traditional Southeast Asia.
Similarly, colonial expansion saw the improvements in the financial and commercial areas of Southeast Asia, which were important to the economic exploitation process of Southeast Asia. There was gradual restriction and then rapid termination of revenue farming, especially the lucrative opium farms. State now collect revenues directly and on its own account. In Siam, Chulalongkorn controlled expenditure, set up a proper accounting and auditing system, and revamped the Customs and Inland Revenue. He also employed a British financial adviser in 1896 and published the government's first budget. This removed the privilege of revenue farming farm the Siamese nobilities. Also, commercially, there was the improvement in infrastructure which helped to facilitate trade and business in the region. In Java, the first state railway was connected from the rich sugar regions of east Java to the great port of Surabaya, which often allowed Java to tap its rich sugar supplies for its economic growth. Commercial and financial expansion allowed the economy of Southeast Asia to shift from being more domestic to become more international, and also facilitated the exploitation process of the European powers.
Colonial expansion also brought social improvements in Southeast Asia in terms of education and the security of the social life, which contributed to the smooth process of their exploitation process, and also brought about a new level of social life in Southeast Asia.
