1. Meanwhile in Cambodia... The Khmer Rouge

2. The Khmer Rouge Cambodia: The next domino to fall?

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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 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

6. 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