The French Occupation of Cambodia

Cambodia only has two seasons. The wet season and the dry season. The Khmer tribe carved miles of canals to store water so when it is the dry season have water. They also made the Angkor Wat, for the Hindu god Vishnu. Wat means temple, so Angkor Wat is called Angkor Temple.

In 1431, the Siamese (Vietnam) attacked Cambodia. They took 90, 000 slaves, and since no one took care of the canal, it eroded over time. 400 years later, Henri Mouhot “discovered” Angkor Wat. He was not the first one to find it. Other Europeans had already found it before him.

Vietnam and the Siamese threatened to squeeze Cambodia out of the map. Norodom I, the king of Cambodia, asked for help from France. France came and pressured the Siamese to give back Angkor Wat.

France helped them not because they want to save them but because they want gold. But Cambodia had no gold. It only had fish, rice, and rubber. The French named them “French Indochina”. During the WWII French Indochina was occupied by Japan. Japan forced the French to give Angkor Wat to the Siamese. In 1953, France finally gave Cambodia its independence. Hooray!!!

The End