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Lon nol Life
Marshal Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister. He led the military coup of 1970 against Prince Norodom Sihanouk and became the self-proclaimed President of the U.S.-backed Khmer Republic, ruling until 1975. -
Prince Sihanouk Life
Norodom Sihanouk was a Cambodian royal leader, politician, composer and filmmaker who was twice the King and numerous times the Prime Minister of Cambodia. In Cambodia, he is also known as Samdech Euv. Until the early years of his rule, his family ruled over the French Protectorate of Cambodia. He was installed as the puppet ruler of the Khmer Rouge. He died in 2012. -
Pol Pot Life
DescriptionPol Pot was a Cambodian revolutionary and politician who led Cambodia as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 to 1979. He was the real leader of the Khmer Rouge. -
Cambodia History
Cambodia is a country on the Indochinese mainland of Southeast Asia. Cambodia is largely a land of plains and great rivers and lies amid important overland and river trade routes linking China to India and Southeast Asia. The influences of many Asian cultures, alongside those of France and the United States, can be seen in the capital, Phnom Penh, one of a handful of urban centers in the largely rural country. -
Cambodian Work Camps
While the idea of an agrarian utopia where everyone is equal sounds nice, it was both poorly executed and not what happened. They were separated into classes based off of what they did before. If they were a peasant then that means they were treated better and got more food. If they were intellectual's like a professor or a doctor then they were more mistreated and often killed outright. -
April 17th, 1975: The Khmer Rouge Seize Phnom Penn
On April 17th the Khmer Rouge came to Phnom Penn and were met with mixed reaction. Some were worried while others praised them. They were then "evacuated" because the Khmer Rouge claimed that the Americans would bomb the city. For many this would be their last time in the city. -
Year Zero
The Khmer Rouge declared that to mark the begging of their new agrarian utopia that they'd restart the calendar at zero. Those that were forced from their homes were processed and separated from their families. They were made "equal". All religion, private property, and education were abolished. -
Vietnamese Invasion
Eventually, the Vietnamese invaded and drove out the Khmer Rouge. This freed the Cambodian prisoners but this was very bittersweet for those who lost their homes and families.
