The former King of Cambodia lasted 73 years in big politics, perhaps the longest in recent history. Norodom Sihanouk, in addition, 10 times was the prime minister of the country and was even elected head of state. The main hobby of the monarch was cinema, according to his scripts, he shot about 20 feature films. He must be one of the most unusual kings to ever reign.
Early years
Born Norodom Sihanouk October 31, 1922 in Phnom Penh, in the royal family. He received his primary education at home, then studied in French Saigon. Then he studied at the military school Saumur (France). At this time, by his own admission, the prince, his main hobbies were cars, girls and cinema.
In France, he met with socialist, liberal ideas and Freemasons. Norodom Sihanouk was crowned at the age of 18, in 1941, with the approval of the Vichy government of France. Then Cambodia was a colony of France, which in turncontrolled by Nazi Germany. After World War II, he joined the liberation movement, actively seeking the country's independence. In 1953, the goal was reached.
Chief reformer
In 1955, Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in favor of his father, who appointed him Prime Minister. He resolutely undertook reforms, trying to liberalize the Cambodian monarchy and socialize the economy. After the death of his father, Sihanouk renounced the throne, changed the constitution and was almost unanimously elected head of the new democratic state.
The political movement he created numbered about a million people. As a leader who brought independence to the country, he enjoyed great popularity among the people. A photo of Norodom Sihanouk was in almost every Cambodian family. During these years, he visited China and the Soviet Union on diplomatic missions. Nikita Khrushchev even awarded Comrade Sihanouk the Order of Suvorov.
Having carried out decisive democratic reforms, he actually only strengthened his real power. To show his closeness to the people, Sihanouk sometimes traveled to the provinces, where he worked in the fields with the peasants or dug irrigation canals. At the same time, he decided to realize his youthful dream - to become a movie star. In 1966, Sihanouk made his first film, "Apsara", as in all his subsequent works, acting as a screenwriter, director, composer and, of course, an actor.
Between two fires
In 1970, when Norodom Sihanouk was vacationing in France, an armed coup took place in the country. The pro-American government of Lon Nol came to power. Sihanouk formed a government in exile in China and created a broad coalition fighting against the occupiers. In 1975, with the help of Vietnamese troops, the country was liberated, but the Khmer Rouge came to power, who soon arrested Sihanouk. Total terror was launched in the country, many members of the royal family were executed. In total, about 3 out of 7 million citizens of the country were killed. In 1979, the bloody regime was overthrown by the Vietnamese troops, who supported the rebel general Heng Samrin. After the capture of Phnom Penh, Sihanouk was allowed to leave the country.
In the biography of Norodom Sihanouk, the period of struggle for independence began again. He again found himself in exile and again formed the next government on the basis of a broad coalition, which included the Khmer Rouge. Sihanouk began to fight for the withdrawal of the Vietnamese contingent from Cambodia. Armed detachments of the coalition were based in pro-Western Thailand. Since 1984, negotiations began with the pro-Vietnamese government on the return of the former king to the country.
Recent years
In 1989, the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from the country began, and two years later the Kingdom of Cambodia was restored. In 1993, the Restoration of the Monarchy Party won the election, and Norodom Sihanouk was crowned again. A constitution was adopted proclaiming a constitutional monarchy and the restorationdemocracy.
In 2004, Sihanouk abdicated in favor of his youngest son due to old age and he alth. Norodom Sihanouk was given the title of prince in recognition of his services. After the abdication, the former monarch lived for some time in North Korea, then moved to China. He became one of the first monarchs to set up a page on the Internet, where he spoke out on various socially significant issues. In 2012, Sihanouk was admitted to a hospital in Beijing, where he died of a heart attack.
