View source for Kingdom of Laos

{{Short description|1947–1975 constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia}}
{{For|the government that controlled the kingdom|Royal Lao Government}}

{{Infobox former country
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Laos
| native_name            = {{native name|lo|ພຣະຣາຊອານາຈັກຣ໌ລາວ}}<br />{{native name|fr|Royaume du Laos}}
| status                 = French [[protectorate]]<br />(1947–1953)<br />Independent state<br />(1953–1975)
| p1                     = French Protectorate of Laos
| flag_p1                = Flag of Laos (1893-1952).svg
| p2                     = French Indochina
| flag_p2                = Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg
| s1                     = Laos{{!}}Lao People's Democratic Republic
| flag_s1                = Flag of Laos.svg
| image_flag             = Flag of Laos (1952–1975).svg
| flag_type              = [[Flag of Laos|Alter flag]]<br>(1947-1975)
| flag_caption           = [[Flag of Laos|Flag]]
| flag_alt               = 
| image_coat             = Royal Seal of the Kingdom of Laos.svg
| symbol_type            = [[Emblem of Laos|Coat of arms]]
| image_map              = Laos (orthographic projection).svg
| national_anthem        = {{lang|lo|ເພງຊາດລາວ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|[[Pheng Xat Lao]]}}<br />"Hymn of the Lao People"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:National Anthem of Laos.ogg]]}}
| capital                = {{nowrap|[[Vientiane]] (administrative)<br />[[Luang Phabang]] (royal)}}
| largest_city           = [[Vientiane]]
| official_languages     = [[Lao language|Lao]]  <br /> [[French language|French]]
| languages_type         = Spoken languages
| languages              = {{hlist|[[Lao Language|Lao]]|[[Hmong language|Hmong]]|[[Khmu language|Khmu]]|[[French Language|French]]}}
| ethnic_groups          = [[Lao people|Lao]] <br /> [[Khmu people|Khmu]] <br /> [[Hmong people|Hmong]] <br /> [[Phouthai]]  <br /> [[Tai people|Tai]] <br /> [[Makong]] <br /> [[Katang people|Katang]] <br /> [[Lu people|Lue]] <br /> [[Akha people|Akha]]
| religion               = [[Buddhism in Laos|Buddhism]] ([[State religion|official]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 May 1947 |title=Laos Constitution 1947/1949 |url=https://media.bloomsburyprofessional.com/rep/files/laos-constitution-1947-1949-englishx.pdf |website=Bloomsbury Professional |access-date=30 April 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005011550/https://media.bloomsburyprofessional.com/rep/files/laos-constitution-1947-1949-englishx.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>)<br /> [[Tai folk religion]] <br /> [[Christianity]] <br /> Other/[[Irreligion]]
| government_type        = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy]]
*under a [[military dictatorship]] (1959–1962)
| leader1                = [[Phoumi Nosavan]]
| year_leader1           = 1959–1960
| leader2                = [[Kong Le]]
| year_leader3           = 1960–1962
| leader3                = [[Phoumi Nosavan]]
| year_leader2           = 1960
| title_leader           = ''[[De facto]]'' [[Leader|leader]]
| title_representative   = [[List of monarchs of Laos|King]]
| year_representative1   = 1946–1959
| representative1        = [[Sisavang Vong]]
| year_representative2   = 1959–1975
| representative2        = [[Sisavang Vatthana]]
| title_deputy           = [[Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos|Prime Minister]]
| deputy1                = [[Souvannarath]]
| year_deputy1           = 1947–1948 <small>(first)</small>
| deputy2                = [[Souvanna Phouma]]{{efn|group=infobox|Held the position several times.}}
| year_deputy2           = 1962–1975 <small>(last)</small>
| life_span              = 1947–1975
| legislature            = [[Parliament of the Kingdom of Laos|Parliament]]
| upper_house            = [[Parliament of the Kingdom of Laos#Royal Council|Royal Council]]
| lower_house            = [[National Assembly (Laos)|National Assembly]]
| event_pre              = [[French protectorate of Laos#End of colonialism in Laos|Unification]]
| date_pre               = 11 May 1947
| event_start            = Independence
| date_start             = 22 October
| year_start             = 1953
| event1                 = [[1954 Geneva Conference|Recognized]]
| date_event1            = 21 July 1954
| event2                 = [[United Nations]] [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 109|admission]]
| date_event2            = 14 December 1955
| event3                 = {{nowrap|[[Pathet Lao|Communist]] [[Laotian Civil War|takeover]]}}
| date_event3            = 23 August 1975
| event_end              = {{nowrap|[[Laos|Lao PDR established]]}}
| date_end               = 2 December
| year_end               = 1975
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 3,100,000
| currency               = [[Lao kip|Kip]] (₭)
| currency_code          = LAK
| time_zone              = [[Time in Laos|ICT]]
| utc_offset             = +7
| date_format            = dmy
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = [[+856]]
| iso3166code            = LA
| today                  = [[Laos]]
| footnotes              = {{notelist|group=infobox}}
| demonym                = 
| area_km2               = 236800
| area_rank              = 
| GDP_PPP                = 
| GDP_PPP_year           = 
| HDI                    = 
| HDI_year               = 
}}
{{History of Laos}}

The '''Kingdom of Laos''' was the form of government in [[Laos]] from 1947 to 1975. Located in [[Southeast Asia]] at the heart of the [[Indochinese Peninsula]], it was bordered by [[Burma]] and [[China]] to the northwest, [[North Vietnam]] to the east, [[Cambodia]] to the southeast, and [[Thailand]] to the west and southwest. The country was governed as a [[constitutional monarchy]] beginning with its independence on 22 October 1953. It survived until December 1975, when its last king, [[Sisavang Vatthana]], [[Laotian Civil War|surrendered the throne]] to the [[Pathet Lao]] during the [[Laotian Civil War|civil war in Laos]], who abolished the monarchy in favour of a [[Marxist–Leninist]] state called the [[Laos|Lao People's Democratic Republic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/laos/la_glos.html|title=About this Collection - Country Studies|website=loc.gov|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref>

Given self-rule with the new Constitution in 1947 as part of the [[French Union]] and a federation with the rest of [[French Indochina]],<ref name=kingdomoflaos>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query2/r?frd/cstdy:@field%28DOCID+la0030%29|title=Library of Congress - Laos - The Kingdom of Laos|website=loc.gov|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> the 1953 Franco-Lao Treaty finally established a sovereign, independent Laos, but did not stipulate who would rule the country. In the years that followed, three groups, led by the so-called [[Three Princes of the Kingdom of Laos|Three Princes]], contended for power: the neutralists under Prince [[Souvanna Phouma]], the right-wing party under Prince [[Boun Oum]] of Champassak, and the left-wing, North Vietnamese-backed Pathet Lao under Prince [[Souphanouvong]] and future Prime Minister [[Kaysone Phomvihane]].

The Pathet Lao would eventually emerge victorious in the [[Laotian Civil War]] and establish the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975.

==History==
{{main|History of Laos}}

The Kingdom of Laos was officially proclaimed when the new Constitution was promulgated in 1947, as part of the colonial [[French Union]],<ref name=kingdomoflaos/> and obtained full independence in 1953. The monarchy lasted until 2 December 1975, when the last king [[Sisavang Vatthana]] [[Laotian Civil War|abdicated the throne]] to the [[Pathet Lao]], who abolished the kingdom and proclaimed Laos as a [[communist state]].

==Government==
Following the Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953, which gave Laos independence, the [[Royal Lao Government]] took control of the country. This treaty established a constitutional monarchy, with [[Sisavang Vong]] as King and Prince Souvanna Phouma as [[Prime Minister of Laos|Prime Minister]].

Many attempts were made by the Three Princes and King Sisavang Vatthana to establish a coalition government. The First Government of National Unity was established in 1958 under Prince [[Souvanna Phouma]], but collapsed after two months. The Prime Minister, who under the constitution appointed his ministers and received advice from the King, made a deal with his brother Prince [[Souphanouvong]].

Souvanna Phouma gave the Communists two seats in the Cabinet, and in return Souphanouvong would integrate 1,500 of his 6,000 Communist troops into the royal army. Prince Souphanouvong was given the post of Minister of Planning, Reconstruction and Urbanization, while another member of the Communist Party was named Minister of Religion and Fine Arts.

[[Parliament of the Kingdom of Laos|The legislature of the Kingdom]] was bicameral.

==Military==
The Kingdom of Laos was divided into five military regions. <!-- what were these regions? --> The [[Royal Lao Armed Forces]] were responsible for the defense of the country, comprising three branches of service: the [[Royal Lao Army]], the [[Royal Lao Navy]], and the [[Royal Lao Air Force]], which was under the control of the Ministry of Defence in Vientiane.

The United States supplied the Royal Lao Navy with twenty river patrol boats and sixteen amphibious landing craft. Between 1962 and 1971, the United States provided Laos with an estimated US$500 million in military assistance.

==Foreign relations==
The Royal Lao Government had close relations with the [[United States]], which gave the country aid and assisted it in the campaign against the [[Pathet Lao]] and the North Vietnamese Communist movement. During 1957, the United States spent more per capita on foreign aid for Laos than it had on any other nation. That worked out as US$150 per Laotian, twice the average person's annual income. Some of the money went to support [[pro-American]] candidates in an election, while other money went to a program to support the local currency, the [[Kip (currency)|kip]].<ref>John Holt (2009). Page 110. Spirits of the Place: Buddhism and Lao Religious Culture.</ref>

King Savang Vatthana visited the United States in 1963 to meet with President [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]].

Laos was also supported by [[France]], [[Australia]], [[Myanmar|Burma]], [[Thailand]] and [[Japan]].

==North Vietnamese invasion of Laos and civil war==
{{main|Laotian Civil War}}
[[File:Nvamarch.jpg|thumb|left|North Vietnamese troops march through Laos, 1967.]]

In 1960, amidst a series of rebellions, fighting broke out between the [[Royal Lao Army]] and the [[Soviet Union]]-backed, [[communist]] [[Pathet Lao]], a second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince [[Souvanna Phouma]] in 1962 proved to be unsuccessful, and the situation steadily deteriorated thereafter as the conflict in Laos became a focus for superpower rivalry. During the [[North Vietnamese invasion of Laos]], the Pathet Lao were backed militarily by the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN) and [[Vietcong]].

Laos was also dragged into the [[Vietnam War]] after parts of Laos were invaded and occupied by [[North Vietnam]] for use as a supply route for its war against [[South Vietnam]]. In response, the United States initiated a bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese positions, supported regular and irregular anticommunist forces in Laos, including those led by [[Hmong people|Hmong]] General [[Vang Pao]], and supported [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam]] incursions into Laos. It also provided supplies, training and funding for the central government.

In 1968, the PAVN launched a multi-division attack to help the Pathet Lao fight the Royal Lao Army. The attack resulted in the army largely demobilizing, leaving the conflict to irregular forces raised by the United States and Thailand.

Massive aerial bombardment against Pathet Lao and PAVN forces was carried out by the United States. It has been reported that Laos was hit by an average of one [[B-52]] bombload every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, between 1964 and 1973. US bombers dropped more [[Aircraft ordnance|ordnance]] on Laos in this period than was dropped during the whole of the Second World War. Of the 260 million bombs that rained down, particularly on [[Xiangkhouang Province]] on the [[Plain of Jars]], some 80 million [[Unexploded ordnance|failed to explode]] and continue to injure and kill residents to this day.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/03/laos-cluster-bombs-uxo-deaths | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Forty years on, Laos reaps bitter harvest of the secret war | first=Ian | last=MacKinnon | date=3 December 2008 | access-date=7 May 2010}}</ref>

Laos is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in the world. Because it was particularly heavily affected by [[cluster bombs]] during this war, Laos was a strong advocate of the [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]] to ban the weapons and assist victims and hosted the First Meeting of States Parties to the convention in November 2010.

In 1975, the Pathet Lao, along with the PAVN and backed by the Soviet Union, overthrew the royalist Lao government, forcing King [[Savang Vatthana]] to abdicate on 2 December 1975.

==Fall of the government==
A ceasefire was finally attained in February 1973, following the [[Paris Peace Accords]] between the United States and North Vietnam. In April 1974, another Provisional Government of National Unity was established, with Prince Souvanna Phouma as Prime Minister. However, by this time, Pathet Lao forces controlled large areas of the country, and following the [[fall of Saigon]] and [[Phnom Penh]] to communist forces in April 1975, removed any chances of a coalition government forming in Laos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2770.htm|title=Laos|website=state.gov|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> Following the communist victories in both countries, they advanced on to Vientiane.

On 2 December 1975 in Vientiane, Prince [[Vong Savang]] submitted the letter of abdication of King [[Savang Vatthana]] to the Pathet Lao. The [[Lao People's Democratic Republic]] was established with Prince Souphanouvong as [[President of Laos|President]]. Kaysone Phomvihane acted as Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the [[Lao People's Revolutionary Party]].

==Aftermath==
About 30,000 to 40,000<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.footprinttravelguides.com/asia/laos/about-laos/laos-under-communism/ |title=Laos under communism |access-date=2012-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828195548/http://www.footprinttravelguides.com/asia/laos/about-laos/laos-under-communism/ |archive-date=2013-08-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> citizens and members of the old government, including the royal family, were taken to re-education camps in remote areas of Laos. The King, Queen and Crown Prince all died in captivity.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/08/opinion/l-laotian-royal-family-died-in-prison-camp-282890.html|title=Laotian Royal Family Died in Prison Camp|newspaper=The New York Times |date=8 February 1990|access-date=20 June 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[History of Laos since 1945]]
*[[Lao Veterans of America]]
*[[Laotian Royal Family]]
*[[Laos Memorial]]
*[[Hmong (disambiguation)]]
*[[Lao Veterans of America Institute]]
*[[Vang Pao]]

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
*[http://countrystudies.us/laos/17.htm Country Study – Kingdom of Laos]

{{coord|17|58|N|102|36|E|type:country_source:kolossus-eswiki|display=title}}

{{Laos topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laos, Kingdom of}}
[[Category:Kingdom of Laos]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:History of Laos (1945–present)|Kingdom Of Laos]]
[[Category:Former polities of the Indochina Wars]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1947]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1975]]
[[Category:1947 establishments in Laos]]
[[Category:1975 disestablishments in Laos]]
[[Category:Military dictatorships]]