Khmer Rouge (historical context)

The Khmer Rouge was a radical communist movement in Cambodia led by Pol Pot that took power from 1975 to 1979. They aimed to create a classless, agrarian society, enforcing brutal policies that forced millions into forced labor, abolished money, religion, and traditional institutions. Their regime caused widespread starvation, forced executions, and the deaths of approximately 1.7 to 2 million people—about a quarter of Cambodia’s population. The Khmer Rouge was ousted by Vietnamese forces in 1979, but its legacy of violence and trauma deeply impacted Cambodia's history and society.