The Khmer Rouge and revolutionary Cambodia
Historical setting
The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh in April 1975 after years of Cambodian civil war and regional conflict. Pol Pot’s movement renamed the country Democratic Kampuchea.
Leadership, institutions & methods
The regime emptied cities, abolished markets and money, organized forced agricultural labor and targeted alleged enemies, including ethnic and religious minorities.
Consequences for people
Approximately 1.5–2 million people died from execution, starvation, disease and overwork between 1975 and 1979. Schools, families and institutions were violently disrupted.
Relations with other countries & lasting effects
Border attacks and war with Vietnam culminated in a Vietnamese invasion in late 1978. The Khmer Rouge lost Phnom Penh in January 1979, but conflict continued for years.
Connections to examine
Compare who exercised authority, whether opponents could organize independently, how the government handled economic and social demands, and whether neighboring populations were exposed to invasion or coercion. The record above describes this particular case rather than treating every movement with a similar label as identical.