الحكم الاستعماري الفرنسي في كمبوديا (1863-1953)

Abstract

The French colonial period of Cambodia (1863-1935) is one of the most important periods in Cambodia's modern history. The French rule to Cambodia happened in a very complicate circumstances where Cambodian was suffering for a long time from seizing it’s land by border neighbors, Vietnam and Thailand. Until then, Cambodia ask France for protection, assuming France will protect Cambodia. France started to take advantage of this situation and enforce its existence in Cambodia and started to interfere with the Cambodian political and economic affairs.

The research aims to shed light on the French rule of Cambodia and its effects at various levels. The research begins in 1863, when the Royal Family of Cambodia signed an agreement with the French to establish a French protectorate on the kingdom, and the country gradually became under French colonial control, but the reason why of making the year of  1953 the end of the research, is due to the Cambodia's independence and the end of French rule.

The research was divided into several sections. The first sections deals with the geographical location of Cambodia and its strategic importance. The second sections includes the establishment of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the establishment of the Khmer Empire. The third sections discusses the French rule until the outbreak of The World War II and the accompanying important events, including the French Protection Treaty in 1863. The fourth sections includes French rule during World War II and the occupation of France by Germany and its impact on the French colonies in Indochina, as well as the Japanese occupation of Cambodia. Finally, the fifth sections includes the return of direct French rule of Cambodia until Cambodia gained its independence in 1953.