Democratic Kampuchea

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/democratic-kampuchea

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ideological foundation?Radical agrarian communism aiming for a classless, self-sufficient society
2. What is the period of rule?1976-1979 (official name), with de facto control from 1975
3. Who led the Khmer Rouge?The Khmer Rouge were led by Pol Pot, who was the top leader of the Communist Party of Kampuchea.
4. Why did the Khmer Rouge evacuate cities?The Khmer Rouge moved people out of cities to try to create a farming society and to remove anyone they thought might oppose their new rules.

Year Zero: The Khmer Rouge policy of completely erasing the past and starting society anew.
Killing Fields: Sites across Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge executed vast numbers of people.
Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK): An exiled alliance formed by the Khmer Rouge and non-communist factions to retain international recognition.
Transitional Justice: The process of dealing with past human rights abuses to achieve accountability and reconciliation.