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coountry renamed democratic kampuchea
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Khmer Rouge
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On April 17, the Khmer Rouge soldiers take Phnom Penh and on April 30th the Vietnam war ended with a communist victory.
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The Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot occupy Phnom Penh and Lon Nol is overthrown. All urban dwellers are evacuated to the countryside to become agricultural workers. Basic freedoms were cut, religion was banned and money became worthless. Hundreds of thousands of educated people of middle class are executed and tortured in special centres. Many others die from disease, exhaustion or starvatoin with the death toll of the next three years believed to be at least 1.6 million.
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The Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea takes effect and Pol Pot officially becomes the prime minister of Cambodia after Sihanouk resigned with Khieu becoming head of state.
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Pol Pot begins a second round of "purges" aimed at eliminating all communist dissidents and moderates.
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Fighting breaks out between Vietnam and Cambodia
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Vietnam invades Cambodia overthrowing Pol Pot government and installing new regime. Twelve years of civil war follow pitting the Khmer Rouge, nationalists and royalists against each other.