A Cambodian soldier holds a .45 to the head of a Khmer Rouge suspect (1973)
An undated photograph shows forced laborers digging canals in Kampong Cham province, part of the massive agrarian infrastructure the Khmer Rouge planned for the country.
The Khmer Rouge, also known as the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), was a regime that controlled Cambodia from April 17, 1975 to January 1979, but the Khmer Rouge was established long before that in 1967. The party was formed as an offshoot of the Vietnamese Communist party, and the history of both country will be interwoven for the duration of the Khmer Rouge. Yet, it was not until 1977 that the organization was revealed; before then, its leading members (“Angkar Padevat”) were kept a secret. During the four years of rule, the country was renamed Democratic Kampuchea, which came about after the Cambodian Civil War (11 March 1967 – 17 April 1975). During this turbulent time, there was much bloodshed as the Kingdom of Cambodia fought alongside the South Vietnamese against the communist alliances of North Vietnam and the National United Front of Kampuchea. The victory of the Khmer Rouge also marked the beginning the Cambodian genocide.
An undated photograph shows forced laborers digging canals in Kampong Cham province, part of the massive agrarian infrastructure the Khmer Rouge planned for the country.
Influenced by Maoism and Stalinism, Khmer rouge intended to transform Cambodia into a self-sustaining, communist based, agrarian society. Two million people were forced into agriculture and those who sympathized with the “free market” were persecuted. The regime quickly became repressive, violating many basic human rights.