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Cambodia
Cambodia independence from France it becomes kingdom Cambodia under king Sihanouk. -
Cambodia
Sihanouk father becomes King, Sinhanouk becomes Prime Minister while pursuing a politcal career. -
Sihanouk
Sihanouk father died. Sihanouk becomes head of State. -
Sihanouk breaks off
Sihanouk breaks off relations with the US and allows North Vietnamese guerrillas to set up bases in Cambodia in pursuance of their campaign against the US-backed government in South Vietnam. -
The US
The US begins a secret bombing campaign against North Vietnamese forces on Cambodian soil. -
Coup and exile
Prime Minister Lon Nol overthrows Sihanouk in coup. He proclaims the Khmer Republic and sends the army to fight the North Vietnamese in Cambodia. Sihanouk - in exile in China - forms a guerrilla movement. Over next few years the Cambodian army loses territory against the North Vietnamese and communist Khmer Rouge guerrillas. -
Cambodia Year Zero
Lon Nol was overthonwn Pol Pot was occupy Phnom Penh.
Sihanouk briefly becomes head of state, the country is re-named Kampuchea. -
Year Zero
Hundreds of thousands of the educated middle-classes are tortured and executed in special centres. Others starve, or die from disease or exhaustion. The total death toll during the next three years is estimated to be at least 1.7 million. -
Pol Pot
The country is re-named Democratic Kampuchea. Sihanouk resigns, Khieu Samphan becomes head of state, Pol Pot is prime minister. -
War
Fighting breaks out with Vietnam. -
Vistnammese
Vietnamese forces invade in a lightning assault. -
Phnom Penh
January - The Vietnamese take Phnom Penh. Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge forces flee to the border region with Thailand. -
Goverment
The pro-Vietnamese Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party wins parliamentary elections. The international community refuses to recognise the new government. -
Hun Sen
Hun Sen becomes prime minister. Cambodia is plagued by guerrilla warfare. Hundreds of thousands become refugees. -
Vietnamese
Vietnamese troops withdraw. Hun Sen tries to attract foreign investment by abandoning socialism. The country is re-named the State of Cambodia. Buddhism is re-established as the state religion. -
Agreement
A peace agreement is signed in Paris. A UN transitional authority shares power temporarily with representatives of the various factions in Cambodia -
General
General election sees the royalist Funcinpec party win the most seats followed by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP). -
Khmar guerrillas
Thousands of Khmer Rouge guerrillas surrender in government amnesty.