Following over fifteen years of peace and prosperity which
Cambodia enjoyed under the Sihanouk regime, General Lon Nol backed by the United
States, seized control in a diplomatic coup d'état in March 1970 and declared
the creation of the Khmer Republic.
This incident may have been caused by the
Prince’s foreign policy, which was interpreted as ‘practically’ supporting Communist
Vietnam and angering the United States during the Vietnam War. It was the first
time that Cambodia abolished its chronological monarchy. Not only was there
little constructive reform during this period, but rather the country was
driven to civil conflict as communism strengthened to its hold in the East and
fighting in rural areas spread in early 1970s, causing barriers to schooling
opportunities. In turmoil, the regime completely collapsed in April 1975 and
socioeconomic achievements of the previous regime soon vanished. During the
early 1970s Cambodia was inevitably drawn into the Vietnam War.
The national instability
and political turmoil led the Lon Nol regime to reduce educational funding and
many school closed in rural areas. Simultaneously, many teachers fled to join
the Khmer Rouge movement while student and teacher demonstrations frequently
occurred in Phnom Penh. By early 1972, the United States bombardment aimed at
slowing the spread of communism from the East, resulted in serious damage to
the education system and infrastructure.
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