jjares reviewed History of Cambodia: A Captivating Guide to Cambodian History, Including Events Such as the Rise and Decline of the Khmer Empire, Siege of Angkor, Cambodian-Vietnamese War, and Cambodian Civil War on + 3270 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
It seems as though Cambodia has been fighting for its existence for a couple of thousand years. They have been influenced, particularly through the religions of India and China (Hinduism and Buddhism). But there have been territorial disputes between themselves and Thailand (Siam), Vietnam, and Laos. The apex of the Khmer empire was in the 12th-century. By the 20th century, Cambodia had new problems, namely becoming a French colony and then occupation by Japan.
Their religious temples are extraordinary, although they have been decaying because of a lack of funds to restore and maintain. Cambodia is a beautiful country but I'd give it a pass because of all the strife there.
After reading this book, I felt really depressed about the situation. Although the Khmer Rouge regime only lasted about 4 years, they decimated the country. Things don't really sound all that more positive in the current state of things. The benefit of reading an overview like this is that the whole picture is available at one time. I was aware of the Khmer Rouge regime but didn't realize the full extent of their crimes until reading this.
Their religious temples are extraordinary, although they have been decaying because of a lack of funds to restore and maintain. Cambodia is a beautiful country but I'd give it a pass because of all the strife there.
After reading this book, I felt really depressed about the situation. Although the Khmer Rouge regime only lasted about 4 years, they decimated the country. Things don't really sound all that more positive in the current state of things. The benefit of reading an overview like this is that the whole picture is available at one time. I was aware of the Khmer Rouge regime but didn't realize the full extent of their crimes until reading this.
