The term Khmer Rouge (French: [kmɛʁ ʁuʒ]; Khmer: ខ្មែរក្រហម, Khmêr Krâhâm, meaning "Red Khmer") refers specifically to the members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and, by extension, to the brutal totalitarian regime through which the CPK governed Cambodia, then known as Kampuchea, between April 17, 1975, and January 7, 1979. This evocative name was originally coined in the 1960s by Cambodia's then-Prime Minister, Prince Norodom Sihanouk. He used it to describe a diverse array of his country's communist-led dissidents, including the underground Maoist movement. Ironically, after Sihanouk's own overthrow in 1970, he would form a tactical alliance with this very group, lending them an aura of legitimacy that proved crucial to their eventual ascent to power.

The Rise of the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Civil War

The Khmer Rouge army experienced a slow but steady build-up within the dense jungles of eastern Cambodia throughout the late 1960s. This nascent force received significant material and strategic support from several key regional communist allies, including the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), the Viet Cong, the Pathet Lao (the communist movement in Laos), and, crucially, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Initially, the Khmer Rouge fought against Norodom Sihanouk's government. However, following Sihanouk's overthrow in a 1970 coup led by General Lon Nol, who subsequently established the pro-American Khmer Republic, the dynamics shifted. On the strategic advice of the CCP, the Khmer Rouge reversed its stance and formally aligned with Sihanouk, leveraging his popular appeal to rally support against the new republican government.

Despite a massive and controversial American bombing campaign, codenamed Operation Freedom Deal, which targeted their supply lines and strongholds within Cambodia from 1969 to 1973, the Khmer Rouge ultimately triumphed in the Cambodian Civil War. Their victory culminated in April 1975, when they captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, decisively overthrowing the Khmer Republic. This marked the beginning of their four-year reign of terror.

The Democratic Kampuchea Regime: Autocracy and Genocide

Following their swift victory, the Khmer Rouge leadership, prominently including Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, and Khieu Samphan, immediately initiated radical and unprecedented societal transformations. A core policy was the forcible evacuation of the country's major cities, driving millions of urban dwellers into forced labor in rural communes. In 1976, the country was officially renamed Democratic Kampuchea, reflecting the regime's ideological vision.

The Democratic Kampuchea regime was characterized by extreme autocracy, totalitarian control, intense xenophobia, profound paranoia, and systematic repression. The devastating consequences included:

• Radical Social Engineering: The regime's policies were a radical attempt to create a classless, agrarian society, abolishing money, private property, religion, and traditional education. This led to the destruction of existing social structures and widespread suffering.
• Agricultural Catastrophe: The implementation of "Moha Lout Plaoh" (Khmer for "Great Leap Forward"), a direct imitation of China's disastrous Great Leap Forward, aimed for rapid agricultural collectivization. This, combined with unrealistic targets and mismanagement, led to widespread famine across the country.
• Medical Neglect: The regime's insistence on absolute self-sufficiency, even in critical areas like medicine, resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands from treatable diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and malnutrition, as medical knowledge and supplies were systematically suppressed.
• Systematic Purges and Genocide: The Khmer Rouge engaged in a brutal campaign against perceived political opponents, former officials of the Lon Nol regime, intellectuals, and anyone deemed "tainted" by foreign influence or urban life. This included widespread summary executions and torture, often carried out at interrogation centers like Tuol Sleng (S-21).
• Genocide of Minorities: A racist emphasis on national purity fueled the genocide of various ethnic and religious minority groups within Cambodia, including Vietnamese, Cham Muslims, Chinese, and Thai, as well as Buddhist monks and Christian clergy.

The cumulative effect of these policies, purges, and the widespread famine led to the Cambodian genocide, an atrocity that claimed the lives of an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people—roughly 25% of Cambodia's total population at the time.

International Support and the Fall of the Regime

Throughout the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge was predominantly supported and funded by the Chinese Communist Party. It is widely estimated that at least 90% of the foreign aid provided to the Khmer Rouge regime originated from China, with the tacit approval of then-Chinese leader Mao Zedong. China's support was largely driven by geopolitical considerations, viewing the Khmer Rouge as a bulwark against Vietnamese and Soviet influence in Southeast Asia.

The brutal reign of Democratic Kampuchea came to an abrupt end on January 7, 1979, when Vietnam, following escalating border conflicts and Khmer Rouge incursions into Vietnamese territory, invaded Cambodia. The Vietnamese People's Army quickly overwhelmed and destroyed most of the Khmer Rouge's forces. Though militarily defeated, the surviving Khmer Rouge leadership and remnants of their forces fled to the Thai border. The Thai government, fearing Vietnamese expansionism, controversially viewed the Khmer Rouge as a useful buffer force against the newly established Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea.

For over a decade, the Khmer Rouge continued to wage a guerrilla war against the Vietnamese occupation and the Cambodian government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea until the formal end of the war in 1989. Despite their horrific human rights record, the Cambodian governments-in-exile, which controversially included the Khmer Rouge through the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK), retained Cambodia's United Nations seat with considerable international support until 1993. This period highlighted the complex Cold War geopolitics that often prioritized strategic alliances over human rights concerns. The monarchy was restored in 1993, and the state was officially renamed the Kingdom of Cambodia, as outlined in the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. A year later, in 1994, thousands of Khmer Rouge guerrillas surrendered themselves as part of a government amnesty program.

Dissolution and the Pursuit of Justice

The Khmer Rouge organization largely dissolved in the mid-1990s. In 1996, Ieng Sary, a prominent Khmer Rouge leader and former Deputy Prime Minister, formed a new political party called the Democratic National Union Movement after being granted amnesty for his past role. The last remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge finally surrendered completely in 1999, effectively marking the end of the movement as a cohesive force.

The long-awaited process of accountability for the atrocities committed by the regime began in the early 21st century. In 2014, in a landmark ruling by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a hybrid United Nations-backed court, two former senior Khmer Rouge leaders, Nuon Chea (known as "Brother Number Two") and Khieu Samphan (former head of state of Democratic Kampuchea), were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity. They were later also convicted of genocide in a subsequent phase of their trial, a crucial step in delivering justice for the victims of one of the 20th century's most devastating genocides.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Khmer Rouge

What was the Khmer Rouge?

The Khmer Rouge was the popular name given to the members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and, by extension, to the authoritarian regime that governed Cambodia (Democratic Kampuchea) from 1975 to 1979.

When did the Khmer Rouge rule Cambodia?

The Khmer Rouge regime, under the official state name Democratic Kampuchea, ruled Cambodia from April 17, 1975, until January 7, 1979.

Who were the key leaders of the Khmer Rouge?

The most prominent leaders of the Khmer Rouge included Pol Pot (the secretive supreme leader), Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, and Khieu Samphan.

What was Democratic Kampuchea?

Democratic Kampuchea was the official name of the Cambodian state from 1976 to 1979, governed by the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime. It was established after the Khmer Rouge's victory in the Cambodian Civil War in 1975.

What atrocities did the Khmer Rouge commit?

The Khmer Rouge regime was responsible for the Cambodian genocide, marked by forced labor, widespread famine due to disastrous agricultural policies, mass executions of perceived enemies (including political opponents, intellectuals, and former officials), and the systematic targeting of ethnic and religious minorities. Torture centers like Tuol Sleng (S-21) were notorious for their brutality.

How many people died under the Khmer Rouge regime?

Estimates suggest that between 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians, approximately 25% of the country's population, perished during the Khmer Rouge's four-year rule due to executions, forced labor, starvation, and lack of medical care.

Who supported the Khmer Rouge?

The Khmer Rouge received significant financial and military support, primarily from the Chinese Communist Party, particularly during the 1970s and even after their fall from power, due to geopolitical alignments during the Cold War.

How did the Khmer Rouge regime end?

The Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown by a Vietnamese invasion in January 1979, following escalating border conflicts and the Khmer Rouge's aggressive incursions into Vietnam. This led to the establishment of a new Vietnamese-backed government in Cambodia.

What happened to the Khmer Rouge leaders after the regime fell?

Many Khmer Rouge leaders fled to Thailand and continued a guerrilla insurgency. Decades later, a UN-backed court, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), prosecuted some surviving leaders. In 2014, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan were convicted of crimes against humanity and later genocide, receiving life sentences.