Khmer Rouge

Definition

The Khmer Rouge was a communist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot. Their brutal policies and genocide resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians, making it one of the most horrific human tragedies of the 20th century.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Khmer Rouge sought to transform Cambodia into a classless, agrarian communist society, forcibly relocating urban populations to rural labor camps.
2. The Khmer Rouge abolished money, private property, religion, and traditional culture, and executed anyone perceived as an intellectual or threat to their regime.
3. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were supported by China and opposed by Vietnam, leading to a prolonged conflict and Vietnamese invasion that eventually toppled the Khmer Rouge in 1979.
4. The Khmer Rouge's brutal policies and genocide were a major human rights disaster that garnered international condemnation and led to the establishment of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to prosecute the regime's leaders.
5. The Khmer Rouge's rise to power and subsequent atrocities were partly enabled by the political instability and US bombing campaigns in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Review Questions

• Describe the key policies and goals of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
  • The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, sought to transform Cambodia into a classless, agrarian communist society. They forcibly relocated urban populations to rural labor camps, abolished money, private property, religion, and traditional culture, and executed anyone perceived as an intellectual or threat to their regime. Their radical policies and brutal tactics resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians, making it one of the worst genocides of the 20th century.
• Explain how the Khmer Rouge's rise to power was influenced by the political instability and US bombing campaigns in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
  • The Khmer Rouge's rise to power was enabled in part by the political instability and US bombing campaigns in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The US bombing campaigns in Cambodia, aimed at disrupting North Vietnamese supply lines, caused widespread destruction and civilian casualties, weakening the Cambodian government and creating an environment of chaos that allowed the Khmer Rouge to gain support and eventually seize power. The political instability and US involvement in the region also contributed to the Khmer Rouge's ability to consolidate their control and implement their radical, genocidal policies once in power.
• Analyze the international response to the Khmer Rouge's atrocities and the establishment of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to prosecute the regime's leaders.
  • The Khmer Rouge's brutal policies and genocide were met with widespread international condemnation, as the scale of their atrocities and the systematic murder of an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians became known globally. This international outcry led to the eventual establishment of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, a special court set up to prosecute the regime's leaders for crimes against humanity and genocide. The tribunal, while facing challenges, represented an important effort to hold the Khmer Rouge accountable and provide justice for the victims of their horrific reign. The international response and creation of the tribunal highlighted the need to address such large-scale human rights violations and genocides, and served as a precedent for future efforts to prosecute perpetrators of similar atrocities.

Related terms

Pol Pot: The leader of the Khmer Rouge and prime minister of Cambodia from 1976 to 1979, whose radical communist policies led to the genocide of millions of Cambodians.

Killing Fields: Mass grave sites where the Khmer Rouge executed and buried hundreds of thousands of Cambodians during their reign of terror.

Cambodian Genocide: The systematic murder of an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.