Operation Menu contributed to political change in Cambodia by which outcome?

• A. Overthrowing Prince Sihanouk
• B. Strengthening Sihanouk's regime
• C. Cambodia's neutral government established
• D. Extending American control over Cambodian governance

Answer: (A)

The action tests how outside military pressure can destabilize a government and shift political power. Operation Menu was the U.S. bombing campaign inside Cambodia from 1969 to 1970, aimed at Viet Cong and North Vietnamese bases but conducted on Cambodian soil. The sustained bombings intensified resentment toward both the United States and the Cambodian leadership, undermining Prince Sihanouk’s stance of neutrality and eroding his legitimacy in the eyes of many Cambodians and regional elites. That weakened position helped create the conditions for a coup led by Lon Nol, with American backing, in 1970 that dethroned and displaced Sihanouk and installed a pro-U.S. regime. In this way, the bombing campaign contributed to a major political shift in Cambodia by bringing about the overthrow of Prince Sihanouk.