Short History of Cambodia, A: From Empire to Survival

Temples and killing fields, mighty rivers and impenetrable forests, a past filled with glory and decline—Cambodia is a land of contrasts. A millennium ago it was an empire at the height of its power, building the vast temple complexes of Angkor. Now, a thousand years later, ravaged by conflict and a genocidal civil war, Cambodia finds itself struggling with democracy, and on the lowest end of the global spectrum of economic wealth.

In this concise and compelling history, John Tully charts Cambodia’s past from the richness of the Angkorean empire, through the dark ages of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the era of French colonialism, independence, the Vietnamese conflict, and the Pol Pot regime to its present day incarnation as a country working towards a stable political system.

Cambodia remains an intriguing enigma to the outside world. With a depressing record of war, famine and invasion that have all threatened to destroy it, Cambodia’s survival is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

About the Author

John Tully first became interested in Indochina in the 1960s. He has an MA in Asian Studies and a PhD in history and is the author of two books on Cambodian history. He is currently a lecturer in Political Science and Asian Studies at Melbourne’s Victoria University.