Evaluate the reasons for the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia
INTRODUCTION
The Khmer Rouge is a term coined by Prince Norodom Sihanouk, literally meaning ‘Red Khmers’, to describe the Communist Party of Kampuchea, led by Saloth Sar, or more commonly known as Pol Pot. From 1975-1979, the Khmer Rouge seized power over Cambodia and conducted the tragic Cambodian genocide. Inspired by Maoism, they believed in the creation of a classless, communal society to achieve equality of all, and enforced this through the evacuation of cities.
The establishment of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia emerged out the era of French colonisation during the 1940’s. During the rule of the French in the early decades of the twentieth century, the Cambodians …show more content…
Key members of the CPK were purged in the mid 1976’s, including local administration officers, large scale arrests and massacres spread around Cambodia. Out of the discontent arose the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (KUFNS), a dissident group led by Heng Smarin and Chea Sim, and created by the Vietnamese with the goal of overthrowing Pol Pot’s regime. On the Thai border, there were operations against the Khmer Rouge conducted by both Lon Nol supporters and leftist Thai soldiers from as early as 1974. Without the contribution to the rebellion against the Khmer Rouge regime, the Vietnamese would not be able to When the Vietnamese finally capture Phnom Penh on January 7 1979, there was little support for the Khmer Rouge and many welcomed the demise of the Democratic …show more content…
The early communist movement in Cambodia, the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party, was led by the Vietnamese. During the US bombings, Hanoi responded with full support of the Khmer Rouge. However, the influx of thousands of Vietnamese troops into Cambodia, prompted a split between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese communists. The Cambodian revolutionaries feared being overwhelmed by Vietnamese military power, called for independence and creating competition between the Khmers and Hanoi. This created an anti-Vietnamese sentiment in Cambodia and Pol Pot continually insisted that Vietnam was an enemy. During the Vietnam War shortly after Lon Nol’s coup, both South Vietnamese and Communist Vietnamese forces occupied Cambodia with artillery, and would chase opponents into Cambodian territory. In 1975, Democratic Kampuchea began to attack Vietnam. Relations between Cambodia and Vietnam fell due to border disputes and the flood of refugees. Vietnam accused Democratic Kampuchea for attacking all eight provinces of Vietnam that border Cambodia. Both countries failed to negotiate, and the head of the Khmer State broke of all relations with the Vietnamese in 1977, declaring that ‘the number one enemy is not U.S. imperialism, but Vietnam, ready to swallow up Cambodia.’ Beginning from December 1977, Vietnam used warplanes and artillery to launch major attacks on Cambodia. The Vietnamese forces began to
INTRODUCTION
The Khmer Rouge is a term coined by Prince Norodom Sihanouk, literally meaning ‘Red Khmers’, to describe the Communist Party of Kampuchea, led by Saloth Sar, or more commonly known as Pol Pot. From 1975-1979, the Khmer Rouge seized power over Cambodia and conducted the tragic Cambodian genocide. Inspired by Maoism, they believed in the creation of a classless, communal society to achieve equality of all, and enforced this through the evacuation of cities.
The establishment of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia emerged out the era of French colonisation during the 1940’s. During the rule of the French in the early decades of the twentieth century, the Cambodians …show more content…
Key members of the CPK were purged in the mid 1976’s, including local administration officers, large scale arrests and massacres spread around Cambodia. Out of the discontent arose the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (KUFNS), a dissident group led by Heng Smarin and Chea Sim, and created by the Vietnamese with the goal of overthrowing Pol Pot’s regime. On the Thai border, there were operations against the Khmer Rouge conducted by both Lon Nol supporters and leftist Thai soldiers from as early as 1974. Without the contribution to the rebellion against the Khmer Rouge regime, the Vietnamese would not be able to When the Vietnamese finally capture Phnom Penh on January 7 1979, there was little support for the Khmer Rouge and many welcomed the demise of the Democratic …show more content…
The early communist movement in Cambodia, the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party, was led by the Vietnamese. During the US bombings, Hanoi responded with full support of the Khmer Rouge. However, the influx of thousands of Vietnamese troops into Cambodia, prompted a split between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese communists. The Cambodian revolutionaries feared being overwhelmed by Vietnamese military power, called for independence and creating competition between the Khmers and Hanoi. This created an anti-Vietnamese sentiment in Cambodia and Pol Pot continually insisted that Vietnam was an enemy. During the Vietnam War shortly after Lon Nol’s coup, both South Vietnamese and Communist Vietnamese forces occupied Cambodia with artillery, and would chase opponents into Cambodian territory. In 1975, Democratic Kampuchea began to attack Vietnam. Relations between Cambodia and Vietnam fell due to border disputes and the flood of refugees. Vietnam accused Democratic Kampuchea for attacking all eight provinces of Vietnam that border Cambodia. Both countries failed to negotiate, and the head of the Khmer State broke of all relations with the Vietnamese in 1977, declaring that ‘the number one enemy is not U.S. imperialism, but Vietnam, ready to swallow up Cambodia.’ Beginning from December 1977, Vietnam used warplanes and artillery to launch major attacks on Cambodia. The Vietnamese forces began to