The French colonized Cambodia for 83 years. Cambodia became independent in November 1953. This was because Norodom Sihanuk led a peaceful independence movement against the French. Norodom Sihanuk was the current Prince of Cambodia at that time.
Soon after this, a communist group called the Khmer Rouge, which was lead by Pol Pot and backed up by the Chinese stepped in. They were in charge of Cambodia for eight years. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge murder millions of innocent Cambodians. Their rule ended when the Vietnamese took control.