State of the South-East Asia, limited to north by China, the east by Viet-Nam, the south by Kampuchea and the west by Thailand and Burma; it extends on 236 800 km2.
The Middle Ages The tribes Phou theungs probably constitute the oldest populations present on the territory of Laos, but their origin and their history are badly known. It is probably to the XIII E century, after the collapse of the Thai kingdom of Nan Chao, in the South-west of China, that Lao Thai began their migration towards the south, in what constitutes today Laos.
Around 1300, Laos had founded several principalities, such as Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Xieng Khouang, Savannakhet and Xam NUA. These city-States delivered continual wars, under the control of princely families. They were occasionally forced to accept the suzerainty of the Thai kingdom of Sukhothai or the Khmer empire of Angkor.
To the XIV E century, the kingdom of Sukhothai weakens, which allowed in 1353 the sovereign of Luang Prabang, prince Fa Ngoum (1316-1378), to unify various small principalities of the valley of Mekong and to found the kingdom of Lan Xang (“country to the million elephants”). Fa Ngoum establishes its capital with Luang Prabang and introduced Buddhism theravada. Although invaded on several occasions by its powerful neighbors (thus, in 1478, by the emperor of Viet-Nam), the kingdom of Lan Xang managed to be maintained during more than three centuries, with borders fluctuating saddle the wars, sometimes as pushed back far in the west as Korat or Chiangmai in Siam, or towards north to the Chinese province of Yunnan (old Nan Chao).
In the middle of the XVI E century, they were the Burmeses who imposed their suzerainty; king Setthathirath (around 1548-1571) transferred the capital to Vientiane (1563). With its death, the Burmeses occupied the kingdom. The country then knew a period disturbed until the reign of Underlined Vongsa (1637-1694), which restores the order. Before his death, this sovereign signed treaties with the Neighboring states in order to fix the borders of his kingdom. However, the quarrels which its succession caused reflect fine with the unit of Laos which, in 1707, burst in three rival kingdoms: Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Champassak, easy preys for Viet-Nam, Siam or Burma. The kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Champassak fell under the domination from Siam in 1778.
In 1804, the Thais appointed prince Chao Anou king de Vientiane. This one, after being a long time remained honest towards its Thai suzerains, tried in 1828 a rising which was quickly crushed. Chao Anou found refuge in Viet-Nam and recruited there an army which it involved in a military forwarding to release Laos of the influence thaïe. It was again defeated, and, this time, the Thais devastated Vientiane and made thousands of prisoners whom it off-set in Siam. On their side, the Vietnameses benefitted from it to take the control of Xieng Khouang.
Protectorate with independence
In 1861, a mission of French exploration, directed by the commander Doudart de Lagrée and the lieutenant commander Francis Garnier, went up Mekong. The action of the vice-consul of France with Luang Prabang, Auguste Pavia, as well as a blockade of the coasts obliged Siam, which dominated the three kingdoms since the end of the XVIII E century, to yield left bank of Mekong (1893) then to sign treaties (1902, 1904) recognizing the protectorate of France on Laos.
This one was unified by France which inserted it in the Indochinese Union in 1899. In 1904, the long reign of Sisavang Vong started who lasted until 1959. During the years of protectorate, France directed the country administratively, but hardly worked with its economic development and social. During the Second world war, Japan imposed its domination on French Indo-China, including on Laos; this domination being exerted in an indirect way, the French government of Vichy put up with it, the French administrators remained in station and the tricolor continued to float on Vientiane.
In 1941, Thailand, allied of Japan, forced only France to yield the territories west of Mekong. Until March 1945, French Indo-China was touched little by the engagements; but, when the Japanese became aware that they were going to lose the war, they sought to prevent the return of the European colonial powers, including their allies of Vichy, in the area. They occupied Indo-China then, and, on on April 8th, 1945, under the Japanese pressure, king Sisavang Vong proclaimed the independence of Laos.
The nationalist movement Lao Issara (“free Laos”), directed by princes Souvanna Phouma and Souphanouvong, in vain tried to be opposed to the return of France; this one, having however begun again possession of Laos in the course of spring 1946, granted internal autonomy to him. King Sisavang Vong accepted this statute (May 1946), and proclaimed a new constitution defining Laos as a constitutional monarchy (1947).
The nationalist movement was divided into 1949 when France granted independence the kingdom of Laos, within the framework of the French Union. In 1951, prince Souvanna Phouma became Prime Minister, whereas, the previous year, the more radical nationalists, carried out by Souphanouvong (half-brother of Souvanna Phouma), had created the movement procommunist of Pathet Lao. Helped by the Vietnamese soldier-minh, Pathet Lao took in 1950 the control of a “zone released” in North, where it establishes a government, then released little by little the campaigns of the South. Laos reached independence in 1953.
The popular republic
In 1954, the agreements of Geneva did not bring a solution for the country, divided into three rival factions (right-hand side proaméricaine of prince Boun Oum and the general Phoumi Nosavan, uncommitted center of Souvanna Phouma and the Kong captain It, and Pathet Lao procommunist - pro-Vietnamese soldier-nam of North - of Souphanouvong), joined together in short governments of national union (1957, 1962.1974). After one period of calm, of 1955 to 1959, an uncommitted coup d'etat failed in 1960 and the American influence took the top.
The neutrality of Laos was proclaimed in 1962 and one government of national union chaired by Souvanna Phouma was set up. But the uncommitted and communist forces occupied the plain of the Earthenware jars then. Making profitable the extension of the conflict to Viet-Nam, the Communists took again the offensive in 1963; Laos, by where the “Ho Chi Minh track passed”, was then implied in the war of Viet-Nam and sudden of heavy American bombardments.
In 1973, a cease-fire intervened. In Laos, after the re-establishment of peace in Viet-Nam, the elections carried to the power the patriotic Face of Laos (ex-Pathet Lao), which abolishes monarchy (December 2nd, 1975) and proclaimed the popular Democratic republic of Laos; prince Souphanouvong became president of the Republic. In 1977, Laos signed a treaty of co-operation with Viet-Nam and accelerated its “walk towards socialism”.
In the middle of the years 1980, however, the Prime Minister (then Head of State in 1991), Kaysone Phomvihane, engaged his country towards a certain economic opening and policy; in 1988, was held a consultation, the first since the seizure of power by the Communists, to elect the chiefs of the 240 districts; Laos, in addition, approached Thailand.
A new Constitution was adopted in 1991, confirming the mode of sole party (the revolutionary Party of the people), but extending the democratic rights somewhat; one year later, Nouhak Phoumsavane was carried in charge of the State. Continuing its policy of opening, the general Khamtay Siphandone, president of the sole party, succeeded to him in 1998, while the general Sisavath Keobouphanh took the direction of the government.