Editing Laos (section)

=== French Laos (1893–1953) ===
{{Main|French protectorate of Laos|First Indochina War}}
[[File:Local Lao in the French Colonial guard.png|thumb|Local Lao soldiers in the French Colonial guard, {{circa| 1900}}]]

In the 19th century, Luang Prabang was ransacked by the Chinese [[Black Flag Army]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Librios Semantic Environment |url = http://www.culturalprofiles.net/laos/Directories/Laos_Cultural_Profile/-1064.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070718125054/http://www.culturalprofiles.net/laos/Directories/Laos_Cultural_Profile/-1064.html |archive-date = 18 July 2007 |title = Laos: Laos under the French |publisher = Culturalprofiles.net |date=11 August 2006 |access-date = 23 January 2011}}</ref> France rescued King [[Oun Kham]] and added Luang Phrabang to the protectorate of [[French Indochina]]. The [[Kingdom of Champasak]] and the territory of Vientiane were added to the protectorate. King [[Sisavangvong]] of Luang Phrabang became ruler of a unified Laos, and Vientiane once again became the capital.<ref>Carine Hahn, ''Le Laos'', Karthala, 1999, pp. 69–72</ref>

Laos produced [[tin]], rubber, and coffee, and never accounted for more than 1% of French Indochina's exports. By 1940, around 600 French citizens lived in Laos.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lonelyplanet.com/laos/history |title = History of Laos |website = Lonely Planet |date = 9 August 1960 |access-date = 23 January 2011 |archive-date = 25 February 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210225100345/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/laos/history |url-status = dead }}</ref> Under French rule, the Vietnamese were encouraged to migrate to Laos, which was seen by the French colonists as a rational solution to a labour shortage within the confines of an Indochina-wide colonial space.<ref name="SørenIvarsson">{{Cite book |last=Ivarsson |first=Søren |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsXjlJF_fokC&pg=PA102 |title=Creating Laos: The Making of a Lao Space Between Indochina and Siam, 1860-1945 |date=2008 |publisher=NIAS Press |isbn=978-87-7694-023-2 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410140148/https://books.google.com/books?id=FsXjlJF_fokC&pg=PA102 |archive-date=10 April 2023}}</ref> By 1943, the Vietnamese population stood at nearly 40,000, forming the majority in some cities of Laos and having the right to elect its own leaders.<ref name="MartinStuart-FoxA">{{Cite book |last=Stuart-Fox |first=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8VvvevRkX-EC&dq=A+History+of+Laos&pg=PA51 |title=A History of Laos |date=1997-09-28 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-59746-3 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405045254/https://books.google.com/books?id=8VvvevRkX-EC&dq=A+History+of+Laos&pg=PA51 |archive-date=5 April 2023}}</ref> As a result, 53% of the population of Vientiane, 85% of [[Thakhek]], and 62% of [[Pakse]] were Vietnamese, with the exception of [[Luang Prabang]] where the population was predominantly Lao.<ref name="MartinStuart-FoxA"/> As late as 1945, the French drew up a plan to move a number of Vietnamese to three areas, i.e., the Vientiane Plain, [[Savannakhet Province|Savannakhet region]], and the [[Bolaven Plateau]], which was derailed by the Japanese invasion of Indochina.<ref name="MartinStuart-FoxA"/> Otherwise, according to [[Martin Stuart-Fox]], the Lao might well have lost control over their own country.<ref name="MartinStuart-FoxA"/>

During [[French Protectorate of Laos#Laos during World War II|World War II in Laos]], [[Vichy France]], [[Thailand]], [[Empire of Japan|Imperial Japan]] and [[Free France]] occupied Laos.<ref>Paul Lévy, ''Histoire du Laos'', PUF, 1974.</ref> On 9 March 1945, a nationalist group declared Laos once more independent, with [[Luang Prabang]] as its capital; on 7 April 1945, two battalions of Japanese troops occupied the city.<ref name="A Country Study: Laos">Savada, Andrea Matles (editor) (1994). "Events in 1945". [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/latoc.html ''A Country Study: Laos''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721090309/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/latoc.html |date=21 July 2015 }}. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> The Japanese attempted to force [[Sisavang Vong]] (the king of Luang Phrabang) to declare Laotian independence, and on 8 April he instead declared an end to Laos's status as a French protectorate. The king then secretly sent Prince [[Kindavong]] to represent Laos to the [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] and [[Sisavang Vatthana|Prince Sisavang]] as representative to the Japanese.<ref name="A Country Study: Laos"/> When Japan surrendered, some Lao nationalists (including Prince [[Phetsarath Ratanavongsa|Phetsarath]]) declared Laotian independence, and by 1946, French troops had reoccupied the country and conferred autonomy on Laos.<ref name="britannica" />

During the [[First Indochina War]], the [[Indochinese Communist Party]] formed the [[Pathet Lao]] independence organisation. The Pathet Lao began a war against the French colonial forces with the aid of the Vietnamese independence organisation, the [[Viet Minh]]. In 1950, the French were forced to give Laos semi-autonomy as an "associated state" within the [[French Union]]. France remained in de facto control until 22 October 1953, when Laos gained full independence as a [[constitutional monarchy]].<ref name=bbc>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15355605|title=Laos profile|date=9 January 2018|access-date=26 April 2019|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308064338/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15355605|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/330219/Laos/52500/People?anchor=ref509292 |title=Laos – Overview |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=23 January 2011 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511175031/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/330219/Laos/52500/People?anchor=ref509292 |url-status=live }}</ref>