S1 Ep13: Cambodian Independence! The End of the First Indochina War, while Pol Pot Joins the Maquis

In 1953, King Norodom Sihanouk launched a one-man international campaign to force France out of Cambodia, a performance one French general described as 'that of a madman, but a madman of genius'. By November 9th, it had worked.Time Period Covered: January - December 1953How does Cambodian Independence Day originate in November 1953? What does the First Indochina War look like in Cambodia? How does a young Pol Pot 'join the maquis'?Almost out of the blue, the Cambodian king will claim independence for his country and end almost a century of French colonial rule. Meanwhile, the First Indochina War will bring its ruin to the Cambodian countryside, and Saloth Sar will join the communist struggle against the French in the jungles.Sources Philip Short Pol Pot: History of a Nightmare David Chandler The Tragedy of Cambodian History Milton Osborne Sihanouk Christopher Goscha Vietnam: A New History Ben Kiernan Viet Nam Edward Miller The Vietnam War