History (ប្រវត្តិវិទ្យា)
The History paper in the Bac II social-science track asks you to place Cambodian and regional events in time, explain causes and consequences, and use dates and Khmer terms precisely. Marks are lost less often from ignorance than from vague chronology.
Periodisation you must be able to order
- Funan (Nokor Phnom), roughly 1st–6th centuries: Indian Ocean trade, Oc Eo, Sanskrit inscriptions, Hindu-Buddhist borrowing.
- Chenla, 6th–8th centuries, followed by Jayavarman II's consecration on Phnom Kulen (traditionally 802), the conventional start of Angkor.
- Angkor, 802–1431: Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat; Jayavarman VII builds the Bayon and Ta Prohm after the Cham occupation of 1177.
- Post-Angkor, the French protectorate (treaty of 1863), colonial rule, independence on 9 November 1953.
Cause and consequence chains
A good answer states the event, its immediate cause, the deeper structural causes, and the consequence for the next period. Vague phrases such as 'many reasons' earn nothing.
Worked example
Why does 23 October 1991 matter? Identify the document first: the Paris Peace Agreements. Then the parties: the four Cambodian factions, Vietnam, and the UN with the permanent five. Then the provisions: ceasefire, UNTAC, free elections, human rights guarantees, recognition of sovereignty. Then the consequences: the 1993 elections, the new constitution, and the restoration of the monarchy. Moving from text to outcome is what the marking guide rewards.
Traps that cost marks
- 1863 versus 1884: the protectorate treaty of 1863 versus the 1884 convention that tightened French control.
- 9 November 1953 (independence) versus the Geneva settlement of 1954.
- 17 April 1975 (Khmer Rouge enter Phnom Penh) versus 7 January 1979 (the regime falls).
- Mixing up the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (1955) with the Khmer Republic (1970).