Cambodia is famous for its many temples on the site of Angkor, indelible traces of the hegemony of the Khmer Empire.
Very often referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the temple of Angkor Wat is a must-see in Cambodia and throughout Southeast Asia. Erected under the Khmer empire which lasted more than 500 years, this Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu was finally transformed into a Buddhist temple in the 12th century.
This civilization, extending at its height over part of present-day Thailand and Laos, however collapsed during the 14th century. This period also coincides with the spread of Buddhism throughout the territory. Several centuries of Siamese domination followed until the intervention of the neighboring rising power: Vietnam. This frees the Khmer people but gradually settles in the south of the country and will obtain the provinces of My Tho and Vinh-Long in the 18th century.
A turning point in the history of this people was the arrival of the French in 1863, who colonized the country and signed a protectorate treaty with King Norodom, then in power. Settling after the Portuguese and then the Dutch on the territory, France will give birth to French Indochina which will regroup with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. France has good relations with the various kings of Cambodia and various infrastructures are built although it is actually more in favor of the Vietnamese and Chinese than the Cambodians.
The Second World War saw Japan impose itself in Thailand in 1941 and obtain the two northern provinces of Cambodia while leaving the French government to manage the rest of the territory. However, the Japanese Empire put an end to French domination on March 9, 1945 and made Cambodia an independent state. King Sihanouk becomes leader of the kingdom again a few months later by asking for the return of the protectorate. He ended up reaching an agreement with France in the middle of the Indochina war and Cambodia was again proclaimed independent in 1953.
Cambodia's independence ushered in a period of rapid development under Sihanouk's leadership. However, this will not last since the Vietnam War will divide the population. Some will be under Vietnamese communist domination while others will aspire to join the United States. An overthrow of the monarchy was then led by Lon Nol, who would lead the Khmer Republic from 1970 to 1975.
This period coincided with the rise of a movement, financed by the North Vietnamese, then by China, which was to establish itself in the province of Ratana Kiri, on the border with Vietnam and Laos. This guerrilla led by the Khmer Rouge and its leader Pol Pot takes advantage of the fragility of the system in place, caused by the American bombardments and the inefficiency of the authorities to react in the face of the growing needs of the people, to take power.
The regime evacuated the cities of all people in order to remove all privileges and reconnect with the greatness of the Khmer Empire, drawing inspiration from the Chinese Great Leap Forward. Private property and money no longer exist, families are divided and all signs of urbanization (hospitals, schools…) are abandoned. To bring order to this radical communist system, many executions took place. The targets of the regime were the so-called "intellectual" population which represented a threat and had no place in a purely agricultural model. The elimination of political opponents and constant starvation have caused several hundred thousand deaths (1.7 Million according to a study by Yale University, 3 Million for others). Nearly 1/4 of the country's population was decimated until January 1979 when the Vietnamese army liberated the country.
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Vietnam then appoints a Cambodian communist leader, which will prevent Cambodia from developing because of a British and American embargo for many years. It was in 1989 that Vietnam withdrew and the UN intervened by organizing elections which would restore King Norodom Sihanouk and two prime ministers were appointed in 1993. One of them, Hun Sen, would later accuse the other (Norodom Ranariddh) of allying himself with the then still existing Khmer Rouge. The death, the following year, of the leader of the Khmer Rouge -Pol Pot- will however signal the end of this movement and will see its last leaders surrender to the authorities.
Since that day, Cambodia has been ruled by Hun Sen and King Sihanouk leaving his crown to his son Sihamoni. The country has opened up to trade and tourism and is experiencing significant growth, but still lags far behind its neighbours. More than 2/3 of the population live from agriculture or fishing while the textile industry also employs many Cambodians. Tourism, which is already significant and has considerable potential, makes it possible to envisage an increase in income, although the infrastructures are not yet very suitable for this. The country still remains today very supported and receives a lot of financial aid through NGOs and Western governments.
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