The Khmer Rouge is the communist party of Cambodia, ruled by Pol Pot from'75 to'79. It is the worst nightmare that the world has ever seen.
In'70, the Khmer Rouge soldiers began an insurgency against the government. They were helped by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, and used this combined power to gain control over more than two-thirds of the country in a short time. The popularity of the Khmer Rouge is witnessed by the dramatic rise in strength from 3,000 in the year'70 to 30,000 in'73. With this, most of the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops had withdrawn.
Finally, led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government in'75, after which the "Democratic Kampuchea" was established. Literally overnight, the new governance took cruel and drastic measures. Entire cities were evacuated. Property was abolished. Factories were closed. Schools were shut down. Money did not hold any value. Hundreds of thousands of taxi drivers, cooks, factory workers, clerks and everyone else became farmers suddenly. They even assassinated skilled workers and intellectuals, and many others died due to starvation. Records show that at least 2 million people died. Cambodia was reduced to nothing but a nation of slaves.
In'79, because of a strained relationship, the Vietnamese troops invaded and helped the local factions in getting rid of the Khmer Rouge government. Unfazed by this, the Khmer Rouge continued its activities near the Thai border, with its 30,000 strong army. The United Nations recognized it as the official government of Cambodia.
After two years, the government formed a coalition with Norodom Sihanouk, the former premier and Son Sann, a non-communist leader. The leader of the Khmer Rouge was no longer Pol Pot but Khieu Samphan. However, it is said that Pol Pot still remained the unofficial leader. UN supervised elections were requested by the different Cambodian factions looking for some sort of a peace and this was fulfilled in'92, with UN taking over the government administration. Around that time, the Khmer Rouge did not acknowledge the results of the elections and withdrew itself from the peace treaty. Finally, it began to fight again.
As is wont to happen, in'97, due to factional fighting within themselves, Pol Pot was oustered and imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge and he died in'98. That was the end of the Khmer Rouge, as most of the members were either captured, had surrendered or defected by'99.
Initially, reports of the mass murders in Cambodia were not taken seriously by most people, until the Vietnamese overpowered the Khmer Rouge. It was then the horrors of Cambodia came to fore.
Khmer Rouge is considered to be the deadliest and most shocking reigns of the modern era. The death toll is not an indication of the brutalities that Cambodians had to suffer in the hands of unscrupulous elements that formed the government. It created such an impact on the world that there never was another revolution that was worse than the one in Cambodia.
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Learn more about khmer culture and the people of Cambodia at KhmerArticles.com
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