Cambodia
History• 9th- 14th Century: Khmer Empire ruled– Angkor- seat of Khmer Empire- world’s largest
pre-industrialized civilization– Angkor Wat- the most famous and best preserved
temple in Angkor (first Hindu, then Buddhist)
History Continued• Colonized by France in 1800s• Occupied by Japan in 1940s• Gained independence from France Nov. 9,
1953– Became a constitutional monarchy
French colonial mansion in Cambodia
Population• 90% is Khmer and speak Khmer language• French is sometimes spoken by older
generation• Cambodian French is often spoken in
government• Religion- Buddhism
Buddhist art in Cambodia
Khmer Rouge• French for Red Khmer- Cambodian Communist
Party- ruling party 1975-79• Pol Pot- leader of Khmer Rouge– Eliminate anyone suspected of involvement in free
market activates– No families- children were torn from parents and taught
torture techniques– No education- executed intellectuals and people with glasses (stereotype)– No religion
– Like Hitler- targeting groups to killPol Pot
Khmer Rouge• Thought the farmers in the rural area were
proletariat and represented the true working class (Maoist)
- Moved people from urban to rural areas (collective farms)
-Factories, schools, and hospitals were closed -Abolished banking, finance, and currency
Effects• 1/5- 1/3 of the population died-
overworked, starved, executed• Tortured and killed “enemies” :– People with connections to former
gov’t or foreign gov’t– Professionals and intellectuals– People who were not Cambodian
or practiced religion– Economic sabotage- mainly those
from urban areas who did not know much about agriculture
End of Power• Vietnamese troops tired of thousands of
Cambodian refugees & border clashes w/ K.R.• 1979- invade & capture Phnom Penh- set up
communist govt.• Khmer Rouge retreat to jungle- continue civil
war
Today• Pol Pot died while under house arrest in 1998- possibly poisoned• Reunited under monarch in 1993• UN backed trials of leading Khmer Rouge officials• Growing economy
– Agriculture– Tourism– Textiles– Oil found and drilling will begin in 2013- can lead to HUGE economic
increase
POL POT VIDEO