Cambodia (also known as Kampuchea):
The Khmer Rouge Years
The Khmer Rouge, organized by Pol Pot in the Cambodian jungle in the 1960s, wanted a radical Communist revolution that would wipe out Western influences in Cambodia and set up a society that only farmed and did not rely on technology (capitalism). In 1970, aided by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong (communist) troops, Khmer Rouge guerrillas (troops that attack secretly and then run away after they attack) began a large-scale fight against Cambodian government forces, soon gaining control of nearly a third of the country.
By 1973, the United States was involved in large war in Vietnam – Cambodia’s neighbor. Unfortunately, communist forces from Vietnam known as the Vietcong , hid in Cambodia. In order to “flush” out these communists, the United States bombed parts of Cambodia. This created an opening of power that was soon filled by a man named Pol Pot's and his followers, known as the Khmer Rouge. In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, overthrew the pro-U.S. government , and established a new government, the Kampuchean People's Republic, which was communist.
As the new ruler of Cambodia, Pol Pot set about transforming the country. The cities were evacuated, factories and schools were closed, and currency and private property was destroyed. Anyone believed to be an intellectual, such as someone who spoke a foreign language, was immediately killed. Skilled workers were also killed, in addition to anyone caught in possession of eyeglasses, a wristwatch, or any other modern technology. In forced marches punctuated with atrocities from the Khmer Rouge, the millions who failed to escape Cambodia were herded onto rural collective farms.
Between 1975 and 1978, an estimated two million Cambodians died by execution, forced labor, and famine. The actions of the Khmer Rouge have been considered genocide as large fields have been discovered where the Khmer Rouge would bury thousands of their victims. These mass graves have come to be known as the “Killing Fields.” In 1978, Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia, capturing Phnom Penh in early 1979. A moderate Communist government was established, and Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreated back into the jungle.
In 1985, Pol Pot officially retired but remained the effective head of the Khmer Rouge, which continued its guerrilla actions against the government in Phnom Penh. In 1997, however, he was put on trial and much of the international community hoped that his captors would send him back to Cambodia so he could be charged with crimes against humanity, but he died of apparently natural causes while under house arrest in 1998.