Meanwhile in Cambodia... The Khmer Rouge

The Khmer Rouge Cambodia: The next domino to fall?

Cambodia: During the Vietnam War Avoided involvement in Vietnam, although Vietcong used Cambodian territory to fight US Cambodia’s ruler Prince Sihanouk was overthrown in 1970 Khmer Rouge take over in 1975 after years of civil war

Khmer Rouge: Their communism The Khmer Rouge believed cities were living and breathing tools of capitalism – they referred to Phnom Penh as "the great prostitute of the Mekong." (Chandler:247) Ideal communist society: all people would have to live and work in the countryside as peasants. Peasants were communist ideal: not prone to exploiting others City dwellers were ‘new people’: whether a teacher, a tailor, a civil servant or a monk, ‘new people’ were the embodiment of capitalism and the enemy of communism, their personal political ideologies irrelevant City dwellers are enemies to the communist state

Khmer Rouge: Their actions Forced evacuations of cities Religion, money and private ownership were all banned Communications with the outside world eliminated (isolationist communism) According to Khmer Rouge, 2000 years of Cambodian history was over; April 17 1975 was the beginning of ‘Year Zero’ for the new Cambodia Targeted ethnic minority groups, including Vietnamese Murder over 1.7 million people who resisted their revolution

Khmer Rouge: The outcome Khmer Rouge imposed on Vietnam’s territory, provoking the Vietnamese Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978 and overthrew Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot fled to Thailand Pol Pot was eventually ousted and faced a public trial. He died in 1998