Editing Norodom Sihanouk (section)

==Early life and first reign==
{{see also|French protectorate of Cambodia|French Indochina|First Indochina War}}
[[File:Norodom Sihanouk Coronation Regalia 1941.png|thumb|left|Sihanouk in his coronation [[regalia]], November 1941]]
Norodom Sihanouk was the only child born of the union between [[Norodom Suramarit]] and [[Sisowath Kossamak]].{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=30}} His parents, who heeded the Royal Court Astrologer's advice that he risked dying at a young age if he was raised under parental care, placed him under the care of Kossamak's grandmother, Pat. When Pat died, Kossamak brought Sihanouk to live with his paternal grandfather, Norodom Sutharot. Sutharot delegated parenting responsibilities to his daughter, Norodom Ket Kanyamom.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2003|p=58}}

Sihanouk received his primary education at the [[François Baudoin]] school and Nuon Moniram school in Phnom Penh.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2003|p=44}} During this time, he received financial support from his maternal grandfather, [[Sisowath Monivong]], to head an amateur performance troupe and soccer team.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=30}} In 1936, Sihanouk was sent to [[Ho Chi Minh City|Saigon]], where he pursued his secondary education at Lycée Chasseloup Laubat, a boarding school.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=32}}

When king Monivong died on 23 April 1941 the [[List of Governors-General of French Indochina|Governor-General of French Indochina]], [[Jean Decoux]], chose Sihanouk to succeed him.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=24}} Sihanouk's appointment as king was formalised the following day by the Cambodian Crown Council,{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=294}} and his coronation ceremony took place on 3 May 1941.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2003|p=54}} During the [[Japanese occupation of Cambodia]], he dedicated most of his time to sports, filming, and the occasional tour to the countryside.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=30}} In March 1945 the Japanese military, which had occupied Cambodia since August 1941, [[Second French Indochina Campaign|dissolved the nominal French colonial administration]]. Under pressure from the Japanese, Sihanouk proclaimed Cambodia's independence{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=37}} and assumed the position of prime minister while serving as king at the same time.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=42}}

===Pre-independence and self-rule===
As prime minister, Sihanouk revoked a decree issued by the last [[Resident (title)#Indochina|resident superior]] of Cambodia, Georges Gautier, to [[Latin script|romanise]] the [[Khmer alphabet]].{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=43}} Following the [[Surrender of Japan]] in August 1945, nationalist forces loyal to [[Son Ngoc Thanh]] launched a coup, which led to Thanh becoming prime minister.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=45}} When the French returned to Cambodia in October 1945, Thanh was dismissed and replaced by Sihanouk's uncle [[Sisowath Monireth]].{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=48}} Monireth negotiated for greater autonomy in managing Cambodia's internal affairs. A [[modus vivendi]] signed in January 1946 granted Cambodia autonomy within the [[French Union]].{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=44}}

A joint French-Cambodian commission was set up after that to draft Cambodia's constitution,{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=50}} and in April 1946 Sihanouk introduced clauses which provided for an elected parliament on the basis of universal male suffrage as well as [[Freedom of the press|press freedom]].{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=51}} The first constitution was signed into effect by Sihanouk in May 1947.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=46}} Around this time, Sihanouk made two trips to [[Saumur]], France, where he attended military training at the [[Armoured Cavalry Branch Training School]] in 1946, and again in 1948. He was made a reserve captain in the French army.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=206}}

In early 1949, Sihanouk traveled to Paris with his parents to negotiate with the French government for more autonomy for Cambodia. The modus vivendi was replaced by a new Franco-Khmer treaty, which recognised Cambodia as "independent" within the French Union.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=47}} In practice, the treaty granted only limited [[Self-governance|self-rule]] to Cambodia. While Cambodia was given free rein in managing its foreign ministry and, to a lesser extent, its defence, most of the other ministries remained under French control.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=43}}

Meanwhile, dissenting legislators from the [[National Assembly (Cambodia)|national assembly]] attacked the government led by prime minister [[Penn Nouth]] over its failure to resolve deepening financial and corruption problems plaguing the country. The dissenting legislators, led by [[Yem Sambaur]], who had defected from the [[Democratic Party (Cambodia)|Democratic Party]] in November 1948,{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=40}} deposed Penn Nouth.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=41}} Yem Sambaur replaced him, but his appointment did not sit well with the Democrats, who in turn pressured Sihanouk to dissolve the national assembly and hold elections.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=42}}

{{stack|float=right|[[File:Sihanouk Harcourt 1946 2.jpg|thumb|Sihanouk in 1946]]}}

Sihanouk, who by now had tired of the political squabbling, dissolved the assembly in September 1949,{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=66}} but opted to rule by decree for the next two years before [[1951 Cambodian general election|general elections]] were held, which the Democrats won.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=63}} In October 1951, Thanh returned to Cambodia and was received by 100,000 supporters, a spectacle which Sihanouk saw as an affront to his regal authority.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=58}} Thanh disappeared six months later, presumably to join the [[Khmer Issarak]].{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=59}} Sihanouk ordered the Democrat-led government to arrest Thanh but was ignored.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=60}}

Subsequently, civil demonstrations against the monarchy and the French broke out in the countryside,{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=62}} alarming Sihanouk, who began to suspect that the Democrats were complicit.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=61}} In June 1952 Sihanouk dismissed the Democrat nominee Huy Kanthoul and made himself prime minister. A few days later, Sihanouk privately confided in exasperation to the US chargé d'affaires, [[Thomas Gardiner Corcoran]], that [[parliamentary democracy]] was unsuitable for Cambodia.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=61}}

In January 1953, Sihanouk re-appointed Penn Nouth as prime minister before leaving for France. Once there, Sihanouk wrote to French President [[Vincent Auriol]] requesting that he grant Cambodia full independence, citing widespread anti-French sentiment among the Cambodian populace.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=74}} Auriol deferred Sihanouk's request to the [[Minister of the Overseas]], [[Jean Letourneau]], who promptly rejected it. Subsequently, Sihanouk traveled to Canada and the United States, where he gave radio interviews to present his case.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=76}}

He took advantage of the prevailing [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]] sentiment in those countries, arguing that Cambodia faced a Communist threat similar to that of the [[Viet Minh]] in Vietnam, and that the solution was to grant full independence to Cambodia.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=76}} Sihanouk returned to Cambodia in June 1953, taking up residence in [[Siem Reap]].{{sfnp|Jeldres|2003|p=61}} He organised public rallies calling for Cambodians to fight for independence, and formed a citizenry militia which attracted about 130,000 recruits.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=70}}

In August 1953, France agreed to cede control over judicial and [[Interior ministry|interior]] affairs to Cambodia, and in October 1953 the defense ministry as well. At the end of October, Sihanouk went to Phnom Penh,{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=80}} where he declared Cambodia's independence from France on 9 November 1953.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2003|p=61}} In May 1954, Sihanouk sent two of his cabinet ministers, [[Nhiek Tioulong]] and Tep Phan, to represent Cambodia at the [[Geneva Conference (1954)|Geneva Conference]].{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=87}} The [[Geneva Agreements|agreements]] affirmed Cambodia's independence and allowed it to seek military aid from any country without restrictions.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=88}}

At the same time, Sihanouk's relations with the governing Democrat party remained strained, as they were wary of his growing political influence.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=88}} To counter Democrat opposition, Sihanouk held a [[1955 Cambodian Geneva Conference referendum|national referendum]] to gauge public approval for his efforts to seek national independence.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=52}} While the results showed 99.8{{nbsp}}percent approval, Australian historian [[Milton Osborne]] noted that [[Open ballot system|open balloting]] was carried out and voters were cowed into casting an approval vote under police surveillance.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=89}}