History of Cambodia

The history of Cambodia traces the societies and states of mainland Southeast Asia that formed modern Cambodia, from early settlements through the present.

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Khmer Empire: A Southeast Asian empire centered at Angkor that flourished from the ninth to fifteenth centuries. Its rise and decline anchor accounts of Cambodia’s premodern past.
Cambodian Civil War: The 1970–1975 conflict between the Khmer Republic and communist forces in Cambodia. The war weakened the republic and enabled the Khmer Rouge’s seizure of power.
Funan: An early polity in the Mekong delta region, known from Chinese accounts dating to the first centuries CE. Its regional trade and political networks form part of Cambodia’s early historical setting.
Norodom Sihanouk: Cambodian king and political leader who dominated national politics from independence through the 1970s. His changing roles as monarch, head of state, and opposition figure shaped several eras.
Cambodian genocide: The mass killings, forced labor, starvation, and persecution carried out under the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979. Its immense human toll remains central to accounts of the country’s recent past.
French Protectorate of Cambodia: A French colonial protectorate established over Cambodia in 1863 and ended in 1953. French rule reshaped administration and set the context for independence.
Khmer Rouge: A Cambodian communist movement that ruled the country as Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979. Its revolution turned civil-war victory into a radical transformation of society.
Chenla: A name used in Chinese sources for polities that preceded the Khmer Empire in mainland Southeast Asia. Accounts of Chenla connect early Cambodian history to Angkor’s rise.
Lon Nol: Cambodian general and politician who led the Khmer Republic from 1970 to 1975. His seizure of power ended Sihanouk’s first post-independence government.
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: A Cambodian court established with United Nations assistance to try senior Khmer Rouge leaders. The tribunal brought selected crimes of the regime into a legal and public record.