A QUICK GUIDE TO THE FRENCH PROTECTORATE IN CAMBODIA AND THE FRANCO–SIAMESE TREATIES (1863–1953)

This book offers a clear, accessible overview of how the French protectorate and a series of Franco‑Siamese treaties reshaped Cambodia’s borders, politics and national identity between 1863 and 1953. Moving chronologically, it explains why King Norodom turned to France for protection, how competing French and Siamese ambitions produced key treaties in 1867, 1904 and 1907, and how these agreements redrew the map of mainland Southeast Asia. Through concise chapters on diplomacy, colonial administration, everyday life, culture, and the rise of Cambodian nationalism, the guide shows how a nominal “protectorate” evolved into direct colonial rule and eventually paved the way for independence. Designed for students, travelers and general readers, it provides essential background to modern Cambodia and to the still‑sensitive question of its borders with Thailand.