2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: A Brief History Of Cambodia (II)

 The French control of Cambodia began in 1863, when the then current King Norodom signed an agreement allowing French control in return for a removal of being a vassal state of Siam (interestingly, one of the outcomes of this was that the King, who took the throne in 1860, could finally be crowned in A.D. 1864 as the royal regalia was returned by the Thai Kingdom).  Cambodia became incorporated with the constituent parts of Vietnam (divided into Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina) and Laos.

French Protectorate of Indochina - Source

The French were in control of Cambodia; the King was retained as a figurehead to the point that France had a residence built directly on the royal palace grounds.  In general, the French taxed, encouraged some form of agriculture, and had basic industry which forward processed local raw materials for export.

(French Embassy, Royal Cambodian Palace Grounds)

Cambodia in WW II was controlled by the Vichy Government and left largely untouched by the Japanese; the cry of Imperial Japan of "Asia for the Asians" had a certain local appeal.  But things became difficult following the surrender of Japan:  France attempted to regain her colonial presence, various factions in Cambodia began activities that would eventually lead to Civil War, and the then prince Sihanouk first negotiated a position of a free protectorate ("Fifty percent rule") and then in 1954, full independence under the now prince Sihanouk.

But it was not to last:  the forces set loose during WW II and the postwar period continued to ferment, aided by the fact that elements of the Viet Minh used Cambodia as a rest and resupply area, which indirectly drew them into the Vietnam War.  Sihanouk was dethroned in a coup in 1970.  The resulting civil war (1970-1975) ended with Cambodia being taken over by the Communist organization of the Khmer Rouge.

(Tuol Sleng Prison Camp)

The Khmer Rouge in three years of rule (1975-1978) were responsible for the deaths of approximately 25% of then current population of Cambodia, estimated at 2,00,000 people.  Their reign of terror was only stopped by the invasion of Cambodia in 1978 by Vietnam, responding to cross-border raids by the Khmer Rouge. The Vietnamese occupation lasted until 1993, when the previous prince Norodom Sihanouk returned as King under a constitutional monarchy with a multi-party parliament (replaced by his son, Norodom Sihamoni, as King in 2004 upon his death).  

As a personal note to end this, it is a beautiful country and everyone we met was friendly.  It is a shame the last century has been marred with such violence.