Student's Book – Dec 2009 (5.9mb) - The Curriculum Project

LaosLaos was controlled by Siam (Thailand) in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. At the end of the 19 thcentury, Siam handed it over to France. During World War II the country was occupied byJapan. Laos declared its independence in 1945, but the French re-asserted their control. In1950 Laos was granted semi-autonomy as an “associated state” within the French Union. TheFrench remained in control until 1954, when Laos gained full independence as a constitutionalmonarchy.During the Vietnam War a civil war started in Laos. The North Vietnamese Army supported thePathet Lao insurgency. The North Vietnamese Army invaded and occupied portions of easternLaos. The United States bombed Laos in order to try to destroy North Vietnamese bases in Laos.In 1968 the North Vietnamese Army attacked the Royal Lao Army. The war continued for manyyears. In 1975 the communist Pathet Lao overthrew the royalist government. They were helpedby the Soviet Union and the North Vietnamese Army. King Savang Vatthana abdicated. ThePathet Lao government signed agreements that gave Vietnam the right to send military forces andto appoint advisors to help in overseeing the country. Control by Vietnam was slowly replaced bya relaxation of economic restrictions in the 1980s and admission into ASEAN in 1997.exercisecomprehensionA. Which countries have controlled Laosthroughout its history?B. How did the Vietnam War affect Laos?discussioninferringA. Was Laos at war with the US?B. Why did the Soviet Union and theNorth Vietnamese Army support thecommunist Pathet Lao?exerciseapplyinginformationA. Which of the challenges described onpage 52 did Laos face?B. Which of the challenges described onpage 52 did East Timor face?Map 15: Laosextensionfree writingSpend up to 15-20 minutes writing about how your country freed itself fromcolonialisation. What challenges did your country face then? What challenges doesyour country face now? If you don’t want to write about your own country, pick anycountry in Southeast Asia to write about.54