The origins of the Khmer Rouge trace back to the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party (KPRP), established in the early 1950s. This party not only appealed to anti-monarchist factions but also attracted young Cambodians who encountered communist ideas while studying in France. Among those who emerged as influential leaders within the Khmer Rouge were Saloth Sar, known later as Pol Pot; Ieng Sary, who would serve as the foreign minister of Democratic Kampuchea; and Khieu Samphan, the future chairman of the party.

Upon entering Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge sought to realize their vision of an agrarian society devoid of family ties, wealth, or social status. They swiftly dismantled family units, abolished money, and dictated every aspect of daily life through Angkar, the enigmatic organization driving the Khmer Rouge’s agenda. Within hours of taking control of the capital, the Khmer Rouge began evacuating the city, transforming it into a ghost town within a week. This pattern was replicated in other towns throughout Cambodia, now referred to as Democratic Kampuchea, resulting in the mass displacement of the population.

The regime implemented forced labor, compelling individuals to work in the fields or on construction projects under the supervision of party officials. The conditions were brutal, and nutrition was severely lacking, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands from preventable diseases and starvation. Almost immediately after seizing power, the Khmer Rouge launched a mass execution campaign, driven by a twisted rationale that remains unclear. Senior military leaders were among the initial targets, soon followed by monks, intellectuals, educated individuals, anyone who spoke a foreign language, and even those who wore glasses. Prince Sihanouk, along with his family, returned to Phnom Penh from exile in Beijing in mid-1975, enduring the remainder of the Khmer Rouge regime under near-total house arrest.

As time progressed, the regime’s paranoia intensified, resulting in the execution of its own cadres. Estimates suggest that between 2 and 2.5 million people, roughly 20% of Cambodia’s population, perished under the Khmer Rouge, with nearly 1.4 million bodies recovered from mass graves. Those who could escape sought refuge in camps in Thailand or Vietnam, while the majority endured the three years, eight months, and twenty days of Khmer Rouge rule—a timeframe etched in the memory of older Cambodians.

The Khmer Rouge’s eventual collapse was precipitated by their former allies, the Vietnamese. Continuous border skirmishes instigated by the Khmer Rouge frustrated the Vietnamese government, prompting a brief troop incursion into Cambodia in 1977. The tipping point occurred when the Khmer Rouge attacked Vietnamese border settlements, including a brutal assault on Ba Chúc in April 1978 that resulted in the massacre of all but two of the town’s 3,157 residents.

On December 22, 1978, a Vietnamese army exceeding 100,000 troops invaded Cambodia, capturing Phnom Penh within seventeen days. The Khmer Rouge leaders managed to escape just before the invading forces arrived, with Pol Pot fleeing by helicopter to Thailand while others packed onto a train heading north to Battambang. Following their leaders, Khmer Rouge troops and loyal villagers retreated into the jungles along the northwestern border.