Why did the French take over Laos?

In 1888, Chinese forces known as the Black Flag Army declared war on Siam and its vassal state of Luang Prabang by sacking its capital. Pavie and French forces later intervened and evacuated the Lao royal family to safety. Following his return to the city, King Oun Kham requested a French protectorate over his kingdom.

Did France ever control Thailand?

France–Thailand relations cover a period from the 16th century until modern times. France would only return more than a century and a half later as a modernised colonial power, engaging in a struggle for territory and influence against Thailand in mainland Southeast Asia that would last until the 20th century.

What were the causes of the Franco Siamese conflict?

The conflict started when French Indochina’s Governor-General Jean de Lanessan sent Auguste Pavie as consul to Bangkok to bring Laos under French rule. Back in France, these incidents were used by the colonial lobby (Parti Colonial) to stir up nationalistic anti-Siamese sentiment, as a pretext for intervention.

How did the French impact Laos?

French Colonization of Laos The French gave Laos its name and its present borders. They helped unify the Lao provinces on the east side of the Mekong River while their treaties with the Siamese gave the Thais control over Lao regions on the west side of the Mekong River, a move that significantly weakened Laos.

How did the French take over Laos?

French annexation was completed by treaties with Siam (called Thailand from 1939) in 1904 and 1907. Finally, after a constitution was promulgated and general elections were held, a Franco-Laotian convention was signed in July 1949 by which Laos was granted limited self-government within the French Union.

Was Siam a French colony?

4. Formerly known as Siam, the Kingdom of Thailand was never a European colony, although it was sometimes under Chinese or Japanese influence. 5. Throughout the 19th century, both the French and the British tried to exert their influence over Thailand, ultimately unsuccessfully overall.

What impact did the French rule have on the area conquered?

However, after 1945 anti-colonial movements began to challenge European authority. Major revolts in Indochina and Algeria proved very expensive and France lost both colonies….French colonial empire.

What was the consequence of the Bangkok Treaty of 1909?

The treaty affirmed British assent that Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu, and Patani were Thai provinces while Penang and Province Wellesley belonged to the British and that the Siamese would permit British trade in Kelantan and Terengganu.

How did Laos gain independence from France?

In 1950, the French were forced to give Laos semi-autonomy as an “associated state” within the French Union. France remained in de facto control until 22 October 1953, when Laos gained full independence as a constitutional monarchy.

Why was France reluctant to invest in Indochina?

Investments in Indochinese public works such as the Hanoi to Saigon railroad, which carried few passengers and very little freight, reaped large profits for shareholders in France, who constituted the Indochina lobby. At the same time, France was reluctant to encourage any manufacturing in Indochina that would compete with imported French goods.

How did Thailand survive the European invasion?

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, only Thailand survived European colonial threat in Southeast Asia due to centralising reforms enacted by King Chulalongkorn and because the French and the British decided it would be a neutral territory to avoid conflicts between their colonies.

How did France expand their empire in Vietnam?

Between 1873 and 1885, the French expanded their empire by imposing separate protectorates over Annam (central Vietnam)—a region that included the imperial capital of Hue—and the northern provinces of Tonkin, where the important cities of Hanoi and Haiphong were located.

When did Indochina become a French colony?

French Indochina. Indochina is a French colony and four protectorates in Southeast Asia established between l860 and 1904, and covering the present-day territories of Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The five colonial components of Indochina became independent in 1954.