Editing Lon Nol (section)

==The Khmer Republic and the Civil War==
[[File:Flag of the Khmer Republic.svg|thumb|Flag of the Khmer Republic.]]
{{details|Cambodian Civil War}}

The [[Khmer Republic]] (1970–1975) abandoned Sihanouk's neutrality policies, especially with regard to the Vietnamese.  Ultimately, the republic proved disastrous both militarily and politically.  Lon Nol's health started to decline after he suffered a stroke in February 1971. His rule became increasingly erratic and authoritarian: he appointed himself [[Marshal]] (a title previously unknown in Cambodia) in April 1971, and in October suspended the National Assembly, stating he would no longer "vainly play the game of democracy and freedom" in wartime.<ref name=cady672>Cady, ''The History of Postwar Southeast Asia'', 1974, p.672</ref> Backed by his forceful, ambitious younger brother General [[Lon Non]], Nol succeeded in reducing the influence of Sirik Matak, [[In Tam]] and the other coup leaders. He also insisted on directing many of the [[Khmer National Armed Forces]] ({{langx|fr|link=no|Forces Armées Nationales Khmères – FANK}}) operations personally.

In time Lon Nol's regime became completely dependent upon large quantities of American aid that towards the end were not backed by the political and military resolve needed to effectively help the beleaguered republic.<ref name="ReferenceA">David P. Chandler, ''A history of Cambodia'', Westview Press; Allen & Unwin, Boulder, Sydney, 1992</ref> By 1975, the government was eventually reduced to holding little more than [[Phnom Penh]] and the [[Preah Vihear Temple]] in the northern border with Thailand. The FANK was quickly running out of ammunition. Lon Nol was increasingly dependent on the advice of soothsayers and Buddhist mystics: at one point during a Khmer Rouge assault on Phnom Penh, he sprinkled a circular line of consecrated sand in order to defend the city. Finally, on 1 April, he resigned and fled the country into exile, as his name was the first on a list of people the Khmer Rouge had vowed to execute.