Khmer Rouge

Overview
Khmer Rouge or Democratic Kampuchea was started from April 1975 to January 1979
and led by Pol Pot, Noun Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan. The ideology of the
Khmer Rouge strongly influenced by French Communist Party (FCF) was anti-intellectual, anticolonialist. They believed that they could form a classless society which was no poor, no rich.
They transformed all classes of people into rural agriculture-based farmers. Most of welleducated people including scholars, professors, teachers, and intellectuals were killed during that
period. About two million Khmer people, 25 percent of the country's total population, died from
starvation, disease and execution from 1975 to 1979.
Why Khmer Rouge?
The communist movement in Cambodia was heavily influenced by FCF, Socialist
Republic of Vietnam and fueled by Indochina war. On March 1970 Lon Nol, a former president
of Khmer, led military coup to depose King Norodom Sihanouk. This coup had made King
Norodom Sihanouk became Khmer Rouges alliance. Two years later, by obtaining support from
Vietnam, Khmer Rouge partially defeated the Cambodia Republic led by Lon Nol. Despite the
aide from US, Lon Nol was able to fight with Khmer Rouge until 1975. On April 1975, Khmer
Rouge declared the victory and took control Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.
Life under Khmer Rouge
Phnom Penh and other cities citizens were forced to move to rural area and caused
thousands of people dead during the evacuation. Khmer Rouge tried to turn Cambodia into a
classless society with no poor, no rich, and no exploitation. The national currency, banking and
financing system were abolished. Also the private properties of people were seized and they
turned the pagoda, church, cinema, school into prisons, killing fields. Khmer rouge once believed
that intellectuals, foreigners (Vietnam, Chinese, Thai, or Cambodian Christians), anyone who
worked for former government were their enemy. These people were tortured, imprisoned,
executed, murdered, and killed.

People were deprived basic right. They needed to work at least 12 hours per day non-stop
and were given not enough food, rest. The people were not allowed to show kindness, love to
their family. As people were found having private relationship or sexual activity, they would be
killed. All religious practices were prohibited and Khmer Rouge tried to spread an ideology to
the people that Angkar Pedevat was the sole unit to believe and follow (act as mother or
father).
After Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge killed almost 2 million Cambodian people and it was one of the worst
tragedies ever in 20th century. Several thousand became widows, orphans, disables. Also the
mentality of Khmer people has seriously suffered from this regime.

It was obvious that

Cambodia needed to rebuild everything again since Khmer Rouge regime was end.
Unfortunately after Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) was over, Cambodia started to have civil war
until 1998.