In 1907 Ugyen Wangchuk was elected king of Bhutan. Then in 1910 Bhutan and Britain signed a treaty. Britain agreed not to interfere in the internal affairs of Bhutan as long as the Bhutanese accepted British advice on its external relations. In 1947 India became independent. In 1949 India signed a treaty with Bhutan. India agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese affairs as long as Bhutan accepted Indian advice on its internal affairs.
In the 1960s Bhutan ended its isolation. Bhutan joined the Colombo Plan in 1962. Bhutan joined the Universal Postal Union in 1969 and joined the UN in 1971. Meanwhile the king of Bhutan introduced a number of reforms although he was keen to preserve Bhutanese traditions. The king created the National Assembly and the Royal Bhutanese Army.
In 1999 satellite TV was allowed in Bhutan for the first time.
Then in the early 21st Century Bhutan became a democratic country. In 2005 the king unveiled a new constitution. The first democratic elections for parliament were held in 2008. Today Bhutan is an overwhelmingly agricultural country. Any industry is cottage industry. Today the population of Bhutan is 758,000. The country has now the system of constitutional monarchy.