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Tou Samouth, Cambodian Communist leader, dies and is replaced by Pol Pot
Pol Pot was a dictator and politician who ruled over Cambodia as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea. Pol Pot was the perpetrator of the Cambodian genocide. -
Pol Pot forms a group of Communists called the Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge, often referred to as the Communist Party of Kampuchea, supported by the Viet Cong and the Chinese Communist party slowly gathered forces in the jungles of eastern Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, would later be the group that committed the Cambodian genocide in 1976. -
A coup by Lon Nol (Backed by the US) overthrows the Kingdom of Cambodia’s chief of state: Prince Norodom Sihanouk
The coup results in Prince Sihanouk being exiled to Beijing, China where he ends up scheming with the Khmer Rouge and the North Vietnamese. -
The creation of the Khmer Republic with Lon Nol as president
After overthrowing Prince Sihanouk and the Kingdom of Cambodia, Lon Nol created the Khmer Republic, a supported by the US military. -
Sihanouk, while in Beijing, joins forces with the Khmer Rouge
While in Beijing, Sihanouk aligns with the Khmer rouge and starts building an army in hopes that they could bring him back to power in Cambodia. -
The North Vietnamese launch an offensive against the Khmer Republic
On April 29th 1970, the North Vietnamese launched an offensive on the Khmer national armed forces (Khmer Republic) at the request of the Khmer Rouge. At this point, Pol Pot and Norodom Sihanouk are working in an alliance. -
US B-52 Bombings of Cambodian countrysides
250,000 Tonnes of bombs were dropped in the span of seven months, before US Congress calls a halt to the bombings on August 15th. The bombings were targeted at the North Vietnamese using the Cambodian-Vietnam border to hide. There were an estimated 50,000 to 150,000 Cambodian civilian deaths from the bombings. -
Pol Pot uses the bombings as recruitment propaganda
Pol Pot uses the Bombing’s killing and destruction as recruitment propaganda to grow the Khmer Rouge Army. Pol Pot also used this as an opportunity to promote Communism and demote Capitalism. -
The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, defeats the Khmer National Armed Forces (Khmer Republic) and captures Phnom Penh
After surrounding the Khmer National Armed Forces with over 40,000 Communist troops, Phnom Penh was lost to the Khmer Rouge. This was a major threshold of Cambodia that ultimately led to the Khmer Rouge’s rule over all of Cambodia. -
Inhabitants of the major cities in Cambodia are forced out to rural areas by the Khmer Rouge
After taking over Phnom Penh and other major cities, the Khmer Rouge drove out the citizens of the cities into rural areas because Pol Pot wanted Cambodia to be an agrarian civilization. -
Mass starvation of Cambodian refugees
After being forced out of their houses and forced to seek refuge in the rural parts of Cambodia, many starved to death. -
Establishment of Democratic Kampuchea
In 1976, democratic Kampuchea was established under complete Khmer Rouge control. Pol Pot became the dictator of Cambodia. -
Persecution and mass killings of anyone who wasn’t “pure Cambodian”
Pol Pot, after visiting a rural farm, wanted to create a “Farmer’s Utopia”. An agrarian country of pure Cambodian people. What he said as “bringing Cambodia to it’s former glory”. Pol Pot strongly encouraged his army to kill anyone who was ethnic Chinese, Muslim Cham, Thai, Vietnamese, and anyone who wore glasses because that made them seem “intellectual”. -
Democratic Kampuchea severs ties with North Vietnam
The Khmer Rouge continues to persecute even further than their borders. Persecution of minorities into Thai, Laos, and Vietnamese land causing dispute between Democratic Kampuchea and North Vietnam. -
Democratic Kanpuchea refuses to negotiate with North Vietnam over the border war
The conflict between Democratic Kampuchea and North Vietnam escalates to the point where Vietnam’s forces invade into Cambodia’s capital: Phnom Penh. -
Total of 1.5 to 2 million people killed by the Khmer Rouge
By the end of the Khmer Rouge’s rein, 300,000 Chinese Cambodians, 500,000 Muslim Cham, and 20,000 Vietnamese people were killed. An additional 800,000-1,000,000 unidentified people died throughout the many Cambodian civil conflicts. -
The End of Khmer Rouge’s rule
Vietnamese troops take over Phnom Penh and establishes the People’s Republic of Kampuchea. The rule of the Khmer Rouge is now over. This also marks the end of the end of Cambodian-Vietnamese civil war.