From greatness to meltdown: Cambodia's history

From the 6th to the 16th century: the greatness of Cambodia

Cambodia was founded around the 6th century and the Khmer empire was at its most powerful in the 13th century. It extended over part of the Kingdom of Siam, the south of Laos, to the centre of Vietnam and Cochinchina. It was during this period, under the reign of Jayavarman VII, that the amazing buildings at Angkor were constructed, and notably the magnificent Angkor Wat.

The period of French colonisation

The country was weakened by internal conflicts and was invaded by other kingdoms. The towns were plundered and King Norodom put his country under the protection of the French in 1863. French colonisation lasted from 1863 to 1954. During this time numerous areas that had been occupied by Siam were restored to the Cambodians. The French helped the country rebuild itself. After the second world war Cambodia's independence was officially recognised in 1954.

From the reign of Sihanouk to the coup

Under the reign of King Sihanouk, who dominated the political scene for some 15 years, Cambodia experienced a period of prosperity. But there was a coup in 1970. It was carried out by two American allies, a cousin of the King and Lon Nol. Sihanouk was removed and the Americans installed themselves in Cambodia. Sihanouk took refuge in China and formed a government in exile which was controlled by the Cambodian revolutionary movement, called the Khmer Rouge. They used the king's support to force peasants, who venerated him, to join their army.

In April, the Americans invaded Cambodia to hunt down Viet Cong soldiers who were using military bases in Cambodia to attack southern Vietnam. But the north Vietnamese army, helped by the Khmer Rouge, easily defeated the Cambodians. Then the north Vietnamese took Angkor and the United States bombed the country.

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@ flickr cc Jean-Pierre Dalbéra

The terrible regime of the Khmer Rouge

Despite the military and economic aid given by the Americans, Lon Nol was incapable of defeating the Khmer Rouge who invaded the country. They wanted to turn Cambodia into a Maoist agricultural co-operative run by the peasants. So the country lived under the bloody dictatorship of the Khmer Rouge who caused nearly 3 million deaths in 4 years. When Sihanouk returned as "Head of State" in 1975 he was forced to abdicate and imprisoned. Pol Pot eliminated all the members of Lon Nol's government. It was the year "zero". The country cut itself off from all outside contact and the Cambodian nightmare only ended in 1979 when Vietnamese troops arrived in Cambodia, overturned Pol Pot and stopped the genocide. When they left the country in 1989, the kingdom had started its reconstruction and begun to democratise itself.

Cambodia since 1989

In 1989, the Vietnamese army left Cambodia. In 1991, peace agreements were signed in Paris and all the parties accepted that free, democratic elections should be held, supervised by UN personnel. But the country remained divided until 2002 when the royalist party, the PPC, won a majority and Hun Sen became prime minister. Since 2002 the country has been becoming democratic. In 2009 it signed economic and social agreements with Laos, Vietnam, and China, built roads and improved sanitation. Since 2008 tourism has been developing and it is becoming simpler to travel to Cambodia.