Cambodian Civil War
Beginning in 1967 and eventually ending in 1975, the Cambodian Civil War was another internal conflict the two superpowers would make international, much to the detriment of the Cambodian people. The stage would be set when Prince Norodom Sihanouk, who had become king during French colonial rule, gained independence from France in 1953 and then abdicated in 1955 in order to directly participate in politics with his party The Sangkum Reastr Niyum, which roughly translates to The Popular Socialist Community, winning the general election that year and becoming prime minister.
This move was welcomed at first as Sihanouk’s policies were considered quite progressive but he would soon find himself in the talons of the American eagle. In 1965, Sihanouk decided to break all ties with the US and instead turn to the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union for economic and military aid. Sihanouk made this move as he believed that eventually, China would be the dominant force in the Indochinese Peninsula, if not the whole of Asia.
His policies would soon turn sour as he crushed political dissent and in 1960, declared himself Head of State. As the war escalated in neighboring Vietnam, Cambodia supposedly took a neutral stance but conflict would soon arise between the Communist Party of Kampuchea (more commonly known as the Khmer Rouge) the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (also known as North Vietnam), and the Kingdom of Cambodia. With the support of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and the United States, they hoped to oust communist influences from the country.
