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Ho
meAb
outC
amb
odi
aCamb
odi
anHi
sto
ry

Ab
outCamb
odi
a

Camb
odi
anHi
sto
ry

Noo nekno wsforcertainho wlo ngpeo plehav eli

vedinwhatisno wCamb o
di a,ass t
udiesofi
ts
prehist
o r
yar eundeveloped.Ac arbon-l4dat ingfromac aveinnorthwesternCamb odia
suggeststhatpeopleusings to
net ool
slivedi nthecaveasear l
yas4000b c,andr icehasbeen
growno nCamb odians o
ilsincewel lbeforet he1stcenturyad.ThefirstCamb odiansli
kely
arrivedlongbeforeeithero ft hesedat es.Theypr o
bablymigratedfromt heno rth,al
though
nothingisknownab outt heirlang uageo rtheirwayo fli
fe.

Bytheb eg
inningofthe1s tcenturyad,Chinesetrader sbeg
ant orepo
rttheexist
enceo
f
i
nlandandc oast
alkingdomsi nCambodia.Theseking domsalreadyowedmuc htoIndi
an
cul
ture,whic
hpr ovi
dedal phabets
,artforms ,archi
tecturalst
yles
,rel
igi
ons(Hindui
smand
Buddhism),andas t
ratifi
edc l
asssys
tem.Lo calbel
iefsthatstres
sedtheimportanc
eof
ances
t r
alspir
itscoexi
stedwiththeIndianr eli
gio
nsandr emainpowerfult
oday.

Cambodi
a'smodem-daycultur
ehasi t
sr oo
tsinthe1s
tt o6t
hc enturi
esinas t
atereferr
edt o
asFunan,kno
wnast heol
destIndianizedstat
einSoutheas
tAs i
a.Itisfromt hi
speri
odt hat
evo
lvedCambodi
a'sl
anguage,partoftheMo n-Khmerfamily,whi
c hcontai
nselementsof
S
anskrit
,it
sancientr
eli
gio
no fHindui
smandBuddhi sm.His
tor
ianshavenot
ed,forexampl
e,
t
hatCamb odi
anscanbedistingui
shedfr o
mtheirnei
ghborsbyt
heircl
othi
ng-chec
kered
s
car
v esknownasKramasar ewo r
ninsteadofst
rawhat s
.

Funang av ewayt ot heAng korEmpi r

ewi tht her i
setopo werofKingJayav armanIIi n802.The
foll
owi ng600year ssawpo werfulKhmerki ng sdominat emuc hofpresentdayS outheastAs i
a,
fromt heb orderso fMyanmareas ttot heS outhChinaS eaandno rt
ht oLaos.Itwasdur ingthi
s
peri
o dt hatKhmerki ngsb
ui l
tthemo stex tens i
veconc ent r
ationofreli
gioustemplesinthe
world-t heAng ko rtemplec omplex.Themo stsuccessfulo fAng kor
'skings,JayavarmanII,
Indr av ar manI,S uryavarmanIIandJayav ar manVII,al sodevis
edamas terpi
eceo fanc i
ent
engineer i
ng :aso phisti
cat
edi rri
gations ys
t emt hatinc l
udesb ar
ays(giganti
cman-madel akes
)
andc anal st hatens uredasmanyast hreer icecropsayear .Partofthissystemissti
llinuse
today.

TheKhmerKi
ngdo
m(Funan)

EarlyChinesewri
tersreferredtoaki ngdo mi nCamb odiat hattheycall
edFunan.Mo dern-day
archaeologi
calfi
ndingspr o
v i
deevidenc eofac ommer cialsoc
ietycent
eredo nt heMeko ng
Deltathatflouri
shedfr omthe1stc enturyt othe6t hcent ur
y.Amo ngthes efindi ngsare
excavati
onso fapo r
tc i
tyfromthe1s tc entury,locatedi ntheregi
o nofOc -Eoi nwhati snow
southernVietnam.Servedb yanetwo rko fcanals,thec i
t ywasanimpo rt
antt r adel i
nk
betweenIndi aandChina.Ong oi
ngex cavationsins outhernCamb odiahav ereveal edthe
exis
tenceo fanotherimportantcit
yneart hepr esent-dayv il
lageofAng korBo r ei
.

Agroupofinlandkingdoms,knowncol
lect
ivelyt
ot heChi
neseasZhenla,flouri
shedinthe6t
h
and7thcenturiesfr
oms out
hernCambo di
at oso
uthernLaos.Thefi
rststoneinscri
pti
onsi
nthe
Khmerlanguageandt hefir
stbri
ckands t
oneHi ndutemplesinCambodiadat efromthe
Zhenl
aperiod.

Ang
korEr
a

BayonTemple,AngkorThomTheg i
antfacesc
arvedont heBayontempl
eatt heAngkorThum
compl
exinno r
thwest
ernC ambodi
arepres
entbot
ht heBuddhaandKi ngJayavarmanVII
(r
uledabout1130-1219).Alt
houg
haBuddhi s
ttemple,AngkorThumwasmo deledaft
erthe
g
reatHi
ndut
empl
eco
mpl
exo
fAng
korWat
.

Intheear l
y9thcenturyaKhmer(et
hnicCambodi
an)pri
nceret
urnedtoCambodi
afrom
abr
o ad.Hepr o
babl
yar ri
vedfr
omnear b
yJavaorSumat
ra,wherehemayhavebeenhel
d
hos
tag ebyis
landkingswhohadas
sertedcont
rolo
verpo
rti
onsoftheSo
utheas
tAsian
mainland.

Inas eriesofceremoniesatdifferentsites
,thepr i
nc edeclaredhimselfrulerofanew
independentki ngdom,whic
huni fi
eds everalloc
alpr i
ncipali
ties
.Hiskingdomev ent
uall
yc ame
tobec enterednearpr es
ent-dayS i
emr eabinno rt
hwes t
ernCamb o
dia.Thepr ince,knownt ohi
s
successorsasJayavarmanII,inaug uratedac ul
tho nori
ngt heHindug odS hiv
aasadev araja
(Sanskrittermmeani ng"god-king").Thecult,whichlegi
timizedtheking'sruleb yli
nkinghim
withShiva,persi
stedattheCamb odianc ourtformo rethant wohundredyear s.

Betweent
heearl
y9t
hc ent
uryandtheearl
y15thcent
ury,26monar
chsruledsuc
ces
siv
elyo
ver
theKhmerki
ngdom(knownasAngkor
,themodernnamefo ri
tsc
api
talc
ity).

Ki
ngJayav
armanVII

Thes
ucc
ess
orso
fJayav
armanIIb
uil
ttheg
reatt
empl
esfo
rwhi
chAng
kori
sfamo
us.

Hi
sto
rianshavedatedmo r
et hanatho
usandtemplesi
tesando
verat
hous
ands
tone
i
nscr
ipti
ons(mosto
ft hemo ntempl
ewall
s)t
othisera.

Not
ableamo ngtheKhmerb uil
der -kingswereSuyavarmanII,whob ui l
tt hetempl
ekno wnas
AngkorWatinthemi d-12thcentur y,andJayav armanVII,whob uilttheBayo ntempleat
AngkorThumands ev
eralotherlarg eBuddhisttempleshal
fac entur ylater
.JayavarmanVII,
aferventBuddhist
,alsobuil
tho spi
t al
sandr esthous
esalongther oadst hatcri
sscr
ossedthe
ki
ngdom.Mo sto
ft hemo narchs,howev er
,seemt ohavebeenmo reconc ernedwithdisplay
ing
andincreas
ingtheirpowerthanwi ththewelfareo fthei
rsubj
ec t
s.
AncientCit
yo fAngkorThismaps howsthelayoutoftheancientc i
tyo fAngkor,capi
talofthe
Camb odi
anKhmerki ngdomfr omt he9thcenturytothe15thc entury.Thecit
y'shugestone
templeswerebothci
viccenter
sandr el
igi
oussymbol
so ftheHinduc osmos.Hist
or i
ansbel
iev
e
thatAngkor'snetwor
ko fcanalsandb arays(res
ervoi
rs)wereus edforirri
gati
o n.

Atitsg reatestex t ent,int he12t hc entur y,theKhmerki ng domenc ompas sed( i

naddi tionto
present -dayCamb odia)par tso fpr es
ent -dayVi et
nam,Lao s,Thai l
and,Myanmar( former l
y
Burma) ,andt heMal ayPeni ns ula.Thai l
andandLao sstil
lc ontainKhmerr uinsand
insc
r i
ptions.Theki ngsatAng ko rreceivedt ributefroms mal l
erki ngdo mst otheno rth,east,
andwes t,andc o nduc tedt radewi thChi na.Thec apit
alcitywast hec entero fani mpres s
ive
netwo rko freser vo i
rsandc anal s,whichhi storianstheori
zes uppliedwat erfo ri
rrigati
o n.Many
hist
or i
ansb eliev et hatt heab undanthar vestsmadepo s
sibl
eb yirrig
at i
o nsuppo r
tedal arge
populat i
onwho sel ab o
rc oul
db edr awno nt oc onstr
ucttheki ng s
't emplesandt ofightt hei
r
wars.Themas sivet empl es,ex tens i
ver oadsandwat erwor
ks ,andc onfidenti nscri
ptionsg i
vean
il
lusi
o no fstab il
ityt hati sunder mi nedb yt hefac tthatmanyKhmerki ngsgainedt het hrone
byco nquer i
ngt heirpr edec essor s.Inscriptionsindicatethatt heki ngdo mfr equent l
ys uffered
fromr eb ell
ionsandfo reigninv as i
ons.

Hist
o r
ianshav enotb eenab l
et ofullyexplaint hedec li
neo ft heKhmerki ngdo mi nt he13th
and14t hcenturi
es.Ho wever
,itwaspr obablyassociatedwitht her i
seofpo wer fulThai
kingdomst hathado ncepaidt ri
butet oAng kor,andt opopulat i
onloss
esfo ll
o wingas eri
esof
warswi ththeseki
ng doms .Anotherfac tormayhav ebeenthei ntr
oductiono fTher avada
Buddhi sm,whichtaug htthatanyo nec ouldac hieveenl i
ghtenmentt hroughmer itori
ous
conduc tandmedi tat i
on.Theseeg ali
tariani deasunder minedt hehierarchicals t
ructureof
Camb odians o
ciet
yandt hepo wero fpromi nentHi ndufami l
ies.AfteraThaii nvasio
ni n1431,
whatr emainedo ftheCamb odianel i
teshifteds outheastwardt othevi
c i
nityo fPhno mPenh.

Camb
odi
aDar
kAg
e

Thismapo fS o
ut heastAsiainthemid-16thcentur
yshowst hemaj orcenterso fpoweri nthe
regionpri
ortot hear ri
valofEuropeans.Duri
ngthi
speriod,thesekingdomswer ec
o nstantlyat
war.Eventuall
yt heKi ngdomofAyut t
haya( moder
nThailand)ex pandedt ot henor thand
east,abso
rbingmuc hofLanNaandLanXang( modernLao s)
.DaiViet(mo der nVi
et nam)
expandedt othes outh,taki
ngo v
erther emaini
ngter
rit
oryo ftheKingdomo fChampaandt he
southernti
po ft heKingdomo fLovek(mo der
nCamb odi
a).To ungooevol
vedi ntomo der n
Myanmar
.

Thefo urcenturieso fCamb o

di anhi st
oryfollowingtheabando nmento fAng korar epo orl
y
recorded,andt hereforehis
t o
r i
anskno wli
ttl
eab outthemb eyondtheb areo utli
nes.Camb odia
retaineditslang uageandi t
sc ulturalidenti
tydes pit
efrequentinvasionsbyt hepo werfulThai
kingdomo fAyut t hayaandi ncursionsbyVietnames eforces.Indeed,fo rmuc ho fthisperiod,
Camb odiawasar elati
velyprosperoust radi
ngki ngdomwithi t
scapitalatLovek,nearpr esent-
dayPhno mPenh.Eur opeanv i
sitorswroteoft heBuddhi s
tpietyoft heinhabitantso fthe
Kingdo mofLo vek.Dur i
ngthisper iod,Camb odianscomposedt hecountry'smo stimpo r
tant
worko fli
terature,t heReamker( b asedo ntheIndi anmyt hoftheRamayana) .

Inthelate18thcentury,aci
vilwarinViet
namanddi s
orderfollo
wingaBur meseinvasionof
Ayutt
hayas pi
ll
edo verint
oCamb odiaanddevas
tatedthearea.Int heearl
y19thc entury,
newl
yestabli
sheddynas ti
esi
nVi et
namandThai l
andcompetedfo rcontro
loverthe
Cambodiancourt.Thewarfarethatensued,b
egi
nninginthel830s,cameclos
etodes tr
o yi
ng
Cambodia.

Fr
enc
hRul
e

Phno mPenh,aspl annedb yt heFr enc h,camet or esemb leat o

wni npr ovinc i
alFr ance.Byt he
secondhal fo fthe19t hc ent ury,Fr anc ehadb egunt oex pandi t
sc o
lonialpenet rati
ono f
Indo china(thepeni nsulab et weenIndi aandChi na) .In1863Fr anceac cept edt heCamb odian
king'sinvit
ationtoimpo seapr otect orateo v
erhi ss everelyweakenedki ng do m,hal ti
ngt he
country'sdismemb ermentb yThai landandVi etnam.Fo rt henex t90year s ,Fr anceruled
Camb odia.Int heory,Frenc hadmi nistrationwasi ndirect ,butinpr acti
cet hewo r
do fFr ench
offici
alswasfi nalonal lmaj o rsubj ects-incl
udi ngt hes electiono fCamb o dia'skings.The
Frenc hleftCamb odiani nstitut i
ons ,includingthemo nar chy,inpl ace,andg r aduall
y
developedaCamb o dianc ivilservice,o rganizedal o ngFr enc hlines.TheFr enc hadmi ni
s t
r ati
on
neglectededuc ati
o nb utb uiltroads ,po rtfac i
li
ties ,ando therpub li
cwo rks.Phno mPenh,as
plannedb ytheFrenc h,c amet or esemb leat owni npr ovi
nc i
alFranc e.

TheFrenchinves
tedr
elati
vel
ylit
tleinCamb o
dia'seconomycomparedt othatofViet
nam,
whi
chwasal s
ounderFrenchcontr
o l
.However,theydevel
opedrubberplantati
onsi
neas t
ern
Cambodia,andtheki
ngdomex por
tedsizab
leamo unt
sofriceundertheirrul
e.TheFrenchals
o
res
tor
edt heAngkort
emplecomplexanddec ipheredAngkoreaninsc
ripti
ons,whi
chgave
Cambodiansacleari
deao fthei
rmediev
alheri
tageandki
ndl
edthei
rpri
deinCambodi
a's
past
.BecauseFranceleftthemonarc
hy,Buddhis
m,andther
hyt
hmso fr
urall
ifeundi
stur
bed,
anti
-Frenchfeeli
ngwass l
owtodevel
op.

KingSihanouk,thr
oughski
ll
fulmaneuv
ering
,manag edt ogai
nCamb odi
a'sindependence
peacefull
yin1953.Duri
ngWo rl
dWarII(1939-1945),Japanesefo
rcesenteredFrench
Indochinabutleftthec
ompliantFr
enchadminis
tratio
ni npl
ace.

Ki
ngNo
rodo
mSi
hano
uk

Ont hevergeofdefeatin1945,theJapaneseremovedt hei

rFrenchcol
laborator
sand
inst
alledano mi
nal l
yindependentCambodiangovernmentundert herec
ent l
ycrownedyoung
king,NorodomSihanouk.Francerei
mposeditspro
tectoratei
near l
y1946b utall
owedthe
Camb odianst
odr aftaconsti
tuti
onandt oformpo l
it
icalpart
ies
.

Soonaft erwar d,fig htinger uptedt hr

oug houtIndochinaasnat ionali
stgroups,somewith
Communi stideo l
ogies,s t
rugg l
edt owinindependenc efr omFr ance.Mo s
toft hefight
ingtook
placeinVi etnam,i nac onflic
tkno wnast heFirstIndo c
hinaWar( 1946-1954).InCamb odia,
Communi stg uer ri
ll
afo rcesalliedwithVietnameseCo mmuni stsgainedcontrolofmuc hofthe
country.Ho wev er,Ki ngS i
hano uk,throughs ki
ll
fulmaneuv er
ing,manag edt ogainCamb o
dia's
independenc epeac efullyin1953,afewmo nthsearli
ert hanVietnam.TheGenev aAccordsof
1954,whi chmar kedt heendo ftheFirstIndo chi
naWar ,acknowledgedS i
hano uk'
sgovernment
asthes olelegitimat eaut hor i
tyinCamb odia.

Mo
der
nSt
ate

Si
hanouk'scampaignfo rindependenc esharpenedhi spol
iti
calski
ll
sandi ncreasedhis
ambiti
ons.In1955heab dicatedthethroneinfav o
ro fhisfathertopursueaful l-t
ime
pol
iti
calcareer,fr
eeoft hec onsti
tut
ionalconst
raintsofthemo narchy.Inamo veaimedat
dis
mant l
ingCamb odi
a'sfl edgli
ngpol
iti
calparti
es,Sihanoukinauguratedanat i
onalpol
it
ical
movementkno wnastheS angkumReas trNi
yum( People'sSoc
iali
stCommuni t
y),who s
ememb ers
werenotpermittedtobelo ngtoanyo t
herpolit
icalgroup.TheSangkumwo nal ltheseat
sint he
nati
onalelec
tio
nso f1955,benefit
ingfromSi
hanouk'
spopul
arityandfrompolic
ebrutal
it
yat
manypolli
ngstatio
ns .Si
hanoukservedaspr
imeminis
terofCamb o
diaunti
l1960,whenhis
fat
herdiedandhewasnamedheado fs
tat
e.Si
hanoukremainedwidel
ypopularamongthe
peo
plebutwasb rutaltohiso
pponent s
.

Int helate1950st heColdWar( perio

do ft ensionb etweent heUni tedS tatesandi tsalliesand
theUni ono fSovietSoci
alistRepub li
cs,orUS SR,andi t
sal l
ies)intens i
fiedinAs ia.Int his
cli
mat e,foreignpo wers,includingtheUni tedS tates,theUS SR,andChi na,c ourtedS i
hano uk.
Camb odia'simpo rtancetot hesec o
unt r
iesstemmedfr omev ent sinnei ghbori
ngVi etnam,wher e
tensionhadb egunt omo untb etweenaCo mmuni str egi
mei nt heno r t
handapr o-Wes tern
regi
mei nthes outh.TheUS SRs upportedt heViet names eCo mmuni sts,whiletheUni tedS tates
oppo s
edt hem,andChi nawant edt ocontainVi etnamfo rsecurityr easons.Eacho ft hefo rei
gn
powersho pedt hatCamb odians upportwouldb o l
steritspos i
ti
oni nt her egi
on.S i
hano uk
pursuedapo lic
yo fneut rali
tyt hatdrews ubstant i
alec onomicai dfr omt heco mpeting
countries.

In1965,ho wever ,Sihano ukb ro keo ffdi plo

mat i
crelati
onswi t
ht heUni tedS tat
es .Att hes ame
ti
me,heal lowedNo rthVi etnames eCo mmuni sts,thenfightingt heVi etnamWarag ainstthe
Unit edS tatesandt heS outhVi etnames eins outhernVietnam,t os etupb asesonCamb odian
soi
l.Aswar farei ntensifiedi nVi etnam,do mes ti
co ppos
iti
ont oS ihano ukfr omb othr adicaland
cons ervativeelement sinc reas ed.TheCamb odianCo mmunis torg anization,kno wnast he
Wo rkersPar tyo fKampuc hea( laterr enamedt heCo mmuni stPar t
yo fKampuc hea,o rCPK) ,
hadg oneunder groundaft erfai li
ngt owinanyc oncessi
onsatt heGenev aAc cords ,butno w
theyt ookupar mso nc eag ai n.Ast heec onomyb ecameuns table,Camb odiab ecamedi fficultto
gover nsing le-handedl y.I nneedo fec onomicandmi li
taryaid,S i
hano ukr eneweddi plomat i
c
relat i
onswi tht heUni tedS tates .Sho r
t l
yt hereafter,in1969,U. S .presidentRi c
har dNi xon
aut horizedab o mbingc ampai gnag ains tCamb odiai naneffo rtt odes troyVietnames e
Communi s tsanc tuar i
esther e.

KhmerRepub
lic

InMar ch1970Camb odi a'

slegisl
ature,t
heNationalAssemb l
y,depos
edS i
hanoukwhi l
ehewas
abroad.Thec o
ns ervativeforcesbehindthecoupwer epro-Westernandant i
-Vietnamese.
GeneralLonNo l,theco untry'spri
memi nis
ter
,as s
umedpo werandsenthispoorlyequi
pped
armyt ofighttheNo rt
hVi etnames eCommunistforcesencampedi nborderareas.LonNol
hopedt hatU.S
.ai dwo uldal l
owhimt odefeathisenemies,butAmericansupportwasalways
gearedtoev
entsinVi
etnam.InAprilU.
S.andS o
uthViet
namesetroo
psinvadedCambodi
a,
searchi
ngforNort
hVi
etnamese,whomoveddeeperintoCamb
odia.Overthenex
tyear
,North
Viet
namesetroo
psdestr
oyedtheoffens
ivecapaci
tyofLonNol
'sarmy.

InOc to
ber1970LonNoli
nauguratedt heKhmerRepub li
c.Si
hanouk,whohadsoughtasylumin
China,wascondemnedtodeathdes pitehi
sabsence.Bythatti
me,ChineseandNorth
Vietnamesel
eadershadpersuadedt heprinc
et oestab
lis
hag ov
er nmenti
nexil
e,all
iedwith
NorthViet
namanddo mi
natedb ytheCPK,who mS i
hanoukreferredtoastheKhmerRo uge
(Frenchfor"RedKhmers")
.

In1975,des
pit
emassi
vei
nfus
ionso
fU.
S.ai
d,t
heKhmerRepub
licc
oll
aps
ed,andKhmer
Roug
efo r
cesoc
cupi
edPhnomPenh.

TheUni t
edS tatescontinuedb omb i
ngCamb odiaunt ilt
heCo ngres
so ftheUni tedS t
at eshalt
ed
thec ampaig nin1973.Byt hattime,Lo nNo l
'sfo rceswerefighti
ngno tonlytheVi etnames ebut
alsotheKhmerRo uge.Theg enerallostcontrolo vermo s
to ftheCamb odianc ountryside,which
hadb eendev astatedb yU.S.bomb i
ng.Thefi ghtings ev
er el
ydamag edt henat io
n's
infras t
ructureandc ausedhighnumb ersofc asual t
ies
.Hundr edsoft housandso fr efugees
floodedi ntothec iti
es.In1975,des pitemas si
v einfusionsofU.S.aid,theKhmerRepub li
c
coll
aps ed,andKhmerRo ug eforcesoccupiedPhno mPenh.Thr eeweeksl ater,North
Vietnames efo r
c esachievedvict
o ryinSouthVi etnam.

Demo
crat
icKampuc
hea

PolPotPolPoti
sapseudonymfo rtheCambodianguer
ril
lac
ommanderS alo
thSar,who
organi
zedtheCommunistguerri
ll
aforceknownastheKhmerRouge.TheKhmerRo ugeous
ted
GeneralLonNoli
n1975,estab
lis
hingab r
utalCommunis
tregi
methatruledunt
il1979.

Immedi atel
yaft eroccupyi
ngCamb o
di a'stowns ,theKhmerRo ug eorderedal lci
tydwellersi
nto
thecountrysi
det otakeupag r
icul
turalt asks.Themo ver efl
ec tedb ot
ht heKhmerRo uge's
cont
emptfo rur bandwel l
ers,whomt heys awasenemi es,andt heirutopianvisi
ono fCamb odia
asanat io
no fbus y,product
ivepeasant s.Thel eadero ft her egime,whor emainedc o
nc eal
ed
fromthepub li
c,wasS alot
hS ar,whous edt heps eudo nymPo lPo t
.Theg overnment ,whichcall
ed
it
sel
fDemo c
raticKampuc hea( DK),claimedt ob es eekingt o
t alindependenc efr o
mfo r
eign
po
wer
sbutac
cept
edec
ono
micandmi
li
tar
yai
dfr
omi
tsmaj
oral
li
es,Chi
naandNo
rthKo
rea.

KhmerRo ug
eCar nageTheKhmerRoug
e,ledb yPolPot,kil
ledcl
oseto1.7mil
li
onpeopl
einthe
mid-tolate1970s.Inthi
sphoto
,humanb onesands kul
lsfil
lamus euminCambodi
athathad
beenus
edasapr is
onandt o
rturec
enterduringPolPot'srei
gn,Syg
ma.

Withouti dentifyingthems elvesasCo mmuni sts

,theKhmerRo ugequi cklyintro ducedas eri
esof
far-r eachingando ftenpai nfuls ocialistpr og
rams.Thepeo pleg ivent hemo stpo weri nthenew
governmentwer et helargelyillit
erat er uralCamb odi
answhohadfo ug htalong s
idet heKhmer
Rougei nt hec i
vilwar.DKl eader ssev erelyr est
ric
tedfr eedomo fs peec h,mo v ement ,and
associati
o n,andfo r
badeal lr eli
giouspr actic
es.Thereg i
mec ontro l
ledal lcommuni cat i
ons
alo
ngwi thacc esstofoodandi nformat ion.Formercitydwel lers,no wc alled"newpeo ple,"
werepar t i
cularlybadlytreat ed.TheKhmerRo ugeki
lledi nt
el l
ect uals,mer chant s,bur eaucrats
,
memb erso freli
giousgroups,andanypeo plesuspect
edo fdisag reeingwi tht hepar ty.Mi l
li
o ns
ofo t
herCamb odianswerefo r cib
lyr elo
c at ed,depri
vedo ffo o d,to rtured,o rs entint oforced
lab
o r. 

Whil
einpower
,theKhmerRo
ugemur
der
ed,wo
rkedt
odeat
h,o
rki
ll
edb
yst
arv
ati
onc
los
eto
1.
7mi l
li
onCambodi
ans.

TheKhmerRo ugeal soat t

ackednei ghboringcountriesinanat temptt or eclaimterrit
ori
eslos
t
byCamb odi
amanyc ent uri
esbefore.Aft erfig
ht i
ngb r
okeo utwi thVietnam( thenunitedunder
theCo mmuni sts)in1977,DK' sideologybec ameo penlyr aci
st.Et hnicmi noriti
esinCamb odi
a,
incl
udinget hnicChi neseandVi etnames e,werehunt eddo wnandex pelledo rmas s
acred.
Purgeso fpart ymemb ersaccusedo ftreas onbecamewi despread.Peo plei neas t
ernCamb odi
a,
suspectedo fco operatingwithVietnam,s uffereds everely,andhundr edso fthousandso f
themwer ekil
led.Whi leinpo wer,t
heKhmerRo ugemur dered,wo rkedt odeat h,orkil
ledby
starvatio
nc lo
s et o1.7mi l
li
onCamb odi
ans -mor ethano ne-fiftho fthec o
unt ry'
spopulati
on.

Rec
entDev
elo
pment

InOcto
ber1991Cambodi
a'swarr
ingfacti
ons,theUN,andanumb erofint
eres
tedforei
gn
nati
onssi
gnedanagreementinPari
sintendedtoendt hec
o nfl
icti
nCamb odi
a.The
agr
eementprovi
dedforat empo
rarypower-shari
ngarrangementb et
weenaUnitedNati
ons
Transi
ti
onalAut
hori
tyinCamb odia(UNTAC)andaS upr
emeNat i
onalCounc
il(
SNC)madeupof
deleg
atesfro
mt hev
ariousCamb o
dianfactio
ns.Pri
nceNorodomSihano
uk,theformerki
ng
andpr i
meminis
terofCamb o
dia,servedaspres
identoftheSNC.

ThePar i
sacco rdsandt heUNpr o t
ec tor
atepus hedCamb odi
ao uto fitsisol
ati
onand
int
roducedc ompet iti
vepo lit
ics,do rmants incetheear ly1950s.UNTACs ponsor
edelecti
o nsfor
anat i
onalass emb l
yinMay1993,andfo rthefirsttimeinCamb odianhi s
toryamaj ori
t yof
vot
ersrejectedanar med,i ncumb entregime.Ar oyalistparty,knownb yi t
sFrenchac r
o nym
FUNCINPEC,wo nthemo stseatsint heelecti
on,followedb ytheCPP,l edb yHunS en.Reluctant
togiv
euppo wer ,HunS ent hreat enedt oups ettheelectio
nr esul
ts.Underac ompromise
arrangement ,at hree-par tyco ali
t i
onfo rmedag overnmentheadedb ytwopr i
memi ni
s ters
;
FUNCINPEC'sPr inceNo rodomRanar i
ddh,o neo fSihanouk'ssons,becamefi rstpri
memi nis
ter,
whil
eHunS enb ecames ec o
ndpr imemi nist
er.

InS eptember1993t
heg overnmentrati
fiedanewconsti
tuti
onrest
ori
ngthemo narchyand
est
ab li
shi
ngtheKingdomo fCamb odi
a.Si
hanoukbec
ameki ngforthesec
ondt i
me.Aft ert
he
1993electi
ons,noforei
gnc o
untriesc
onti
nuedtorecog
nizetheDKasCamb o
dia'slegal
government.TheDKlo s
tit
sUNs eataswellasmos
tofitssour
cesofint
ernat
ionalaid.

Theunr ealis
ticpower-sharingr elationshipbetweenRanariddhandHunS enworked
surpri
singlywellforthenex tthr eeyear s,butrelat
ionsbet
weent hepar t
ieswereneversmo ot
h.
TheCPP' scontroloverthear myandt hepo li
cegavethepartyeffec ti
vecontro
lofthec ountry,
andi tdo minatedthec oali
tiong overnment .InJuly1997HunS ens t
agedav i
olentcoup
againstFUNCINPECandr eplacedPr i
nceRanar i
ddh,whowaso verseasatthetime,withUng
Huo t
,amo repliab
leFUNCINPECfi gure.HunS en'sacti
onshockedfo rei
gnnationsanddel ayed
Camb odia'sentryintotheAs sociati
o no fSoutheastAsi
anNat i
ons( ASEAN).Bytheendo f1997,
Camb odiawast heo nl
ynat ionint her egionthatwasno tamemb er
.

Despitet hec oup,electionss c

hedul edfo rJul y1998pr oceededaspl anned.Hundr edso f
foreigno bs erverswhomo nitor
edt heel ecti
o nsaffi rmedt hatvoti
ngwasr el
ativel
yfr eeand
fair;ho wev er,theCPPhar assedo ppositio
nc andi datesandpar tywo rkersbeforeandaft er
theel ecti
o ns,whendo zenswer eimpr is
o nedands everalwer ekill
ed.Theel ecti
ong av etheCPP
aplur alityo fv o
tes,butr esult
s,espec i
allyint owns,wher evo t
ingcouldno tbedi c
tat edb ylo
cal
autho ri
ties,indi cat
edt hatt hepar tydi dno tenj oywidespr eadpo pularsupport.Princ e
Ranar i
ddhandano thero pposit
ionc andidat e,SamRai ns y,tookrefug eabroadandc ontes
ted
theo utcomeo ft heelection.InNo vemb ert heCPPandFUNCINPECr eachedanag reement
wherebyHunS enb ecames o
lepri
memi nist
erandRanar iddhb ecamepr esi
dento ftheNational
Assembly.Thepar t
iesformedac oal
it
iongovernment ,divi
dingco nt
rolovert hevari
ouscabi
net
minis
tri
es .Inearly1999theconsti
tuti
onwasamendedt ocreateaS enate,c al
ledforinthe
1998agr eement.Thesesi
gnsthatCamb odi
a'spo l
it
icalsi
tuatio
nwass t
ab i
li
zingencouraged
ASEANt oadmi tCamb odi
at oi
tsmemb er
shipas hortti
mel ater.

PolPotdiedi
n1998,andb yearl
y1999mostoftheremaini
ngKhmerRougetro
opsandl eader
s
hadsur r
endered.Rebeltro
opswereint
egr
atedint
ot heCambodi
anarmy.In1999twoKhmer
Rougeleader
swer ear
r es
tedandc harg
edwithg
enocideforthei
rpar
tintheatro
cit
ies
.

Si
ncet heParisAccordsof1991,Cambodia'
seconomi cgrowt
hhasdependedo nmilli
onsof
dol
larsoffo r
eignaid.Forei
gninteres
tinCamb odiahasdec reas
ed,ho wev
er,andt hecountr
y
hasreceiv
eddi minis
hingeconomicass
ist
ance.Thisdev el
opment,alongwit
ht heconti
nuedlack
ofopennessinCamb odianpoli
tic
s,hasmadeCamb odia'spr
ospectsfordemoc r
ati
zatio
ndi m,
aswellasitschancesforsus
tainedeconomicgro
wt h.

S
har
e  
 

Mo
reAr
tic
leso
nAb
outCamb
odi
a

Camb
odi
anHi
sto
ry

Geo
graphy

Rel
igi
on

KhmerPeo
ple

Lang
uag
es
TheKi
ng

Go
ver
nment

Ec
ono
my

Camb
odi
aTo
urs

Camb
odi
aDayTo
urs

Ang
korTempl
eTo
urs

Camb
odi
aCl
ass
icTo
urs

Pr
omo
tio
nTo
urs

Adv
ent
ureTo
urs

Cyc
li
ngTo
urs

Al
lCamb
odi
aTo
urs
 

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