| King Norodom (1859-1904) signed
in 1863
a treaty of protection with France, a move that prevented the Siamese and
the Vietnamese from annexing more Khmer territory. In exchange for
this protection,
the French received rights to explore and to exploit the kingdom's mineral and
forest resources.
The French concluded in 1867 a treaty with the Siamese that gave the
latter control of Batambang province and of Siem Reap province in exchange
for their renunciation of all claims of suzerainty over other parts of
Cambodia.
The French governor of "Cochinchina"
went in June 1884 to Phnom Penh and demanded approval of a treaty with Paris that
promised far-reaching changes such as the abolition of slavery, the
institution of private land ownership, and the establishment of French
residents in provincial cities.
The incumbent resident general complained in 1897 to Paris that Norodom
was no longer capable of ruling and received permission to assume the
king's authority to issue decrees, collect taxes, and appoint royal
officials. Norodom and his successors were left with hollow figurehead
roles as head of state and as patron of the Buddhist religion.
King Norodom was succeeded by king Sisowath (1904-1927). King
Sisowath was the brother of King Norodom. By doing so, France passed over
the sons of King Norodom. They hoped that this branch of the family would be more
co-operative, since Norodom's favourite son, Prince Yukanthor, had stirred up
publicity abroad about French colonial injustices. |
Under French pressure in 1907 the Siamese King Chulalongkorn signed a
new treaty returning the north-western provinces of Batambang and
Siem Reap to Cambodia.
King Sisowath was later succeeded by king Monivong (1927-1941).
The French governor-general of
Indochina, Admiral Jean Decoux, placed after the death of King Monivong, the young
prince Sihanouk on the
Cambodian throne, hoping that he would be easily influenced by his
benefactors. This was however a miscalculation: the young king started a
"Royal Crusade" for independence.
During World War II, Cambodia was occupied by Japan and knew a brief
period of independence. After the war, the French were determined to
regain control over Indochina, though they offered Cambodia and the other
Inchochinese
protectorates a carefully circumscribed measure of self-government. The
Khmer Issarak started a guerrilla movement from the border areas.
In 1946, the French allowed the Cambodians to hold elections for a new
National Assembly which drafted a new constitution. King Sihanouk had to
negotiate with the French for full independence while trying to neutralize
party politicians and supporters of the Khmer Issarak.
Independence was proclaimed on 9 November 1953 and recognised by the
Geneva Conference of May 1954.
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