Despite the growth of his popularity after achieving independence, Sihanouk was
apprehensive about his powers if the republican-minded Democratic Party, who
was determined to abolish the monarchy, won the next election. His strategy was
to abdicate the throne in favour of his father and to pursue his political
aspirations. Sihanouk announced that he would establish a truly democratic
party and end the rule of privilege. He formed a political movement called the
Sangkum Reastr Niyum (People's Socialist Community) and because of his
popularity, he had the support of the mass of the peasantry and several other
political parties who feared annihilation at the polls. In 1955, Prince
Sihanouk was elected premiere.
Over the next ten years, tension between Sihanouk and the United States
intensified as American armed forces in South Vietnam made sorties over the
Cambodian border and the U.S. attempted to shift Sihanouk's loyalty from
pro-communist neutrality to pro-American.
Sihanouk was not really interested in democracy and therefore he ignored the
Geneva accords by closing the opposition newspapers and harassing the
opposition leaders. His strong-arm tactics did not backfire because of a strong
political base among the peasantry.
The United States pressured Sihanouk to join the Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO) which included the U.S., Britain, France, Pakistan,
Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. Washington viewed SEATO as an
organization capable of containing China and protecting Southeast Asia from
Chinese domination. Sihanouk refused to recognize SEATO because of his policy
of pro-communist neutrality.
Other actions on the part of Sihanouk were cause for alarm to the Americans
such as his establishing relations with the Soviet Union and Poland, accepting
aid from China, and making overtures to North Vietnam. Although he seemed to be
courting relations with communist countries, he did not hesitate to criticize
them when Cambodia's neutrality was threatened.
The United States employed two strategies to pressure Sihanouk to move more
into the American camp. One was the use of aid and the other was to step up
military activities along the Thai-Cambodian and Vietnamese-Cambodian borders.
Sihanouk deeply resented the efforts of the Americans to pressure him into
abandoning his neutrality in favour of a pro-American position. He was
concerned that too many of his generals and ministers were becoming overly
dependent on American assistance. After the assassination of Diem in 1963, as
an expression of his determination to be independent and neutral, Sihanouk
implemented a program of economic reforms and nationalization. He then
repudiated American economic and military aid programs and insisted that the
United States shut down their aid missions.
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