Khmer Rouge, The

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. The Khmer Rouge regime, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, remains one of the most horrific and tragic episodes in the history of the 20th century. Under the leadership of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge sought to transform Cambodia into a purely agrarian society, dismantling its cities, education systems, and religious institutions. What followed was a brutal and systematic campaign that led to the deaths of an estimated 1.7 to 2 million people, or about a quarter of the population. This chapter sets the stage for understanding the Khmer Rouge, exploring the factors that led to its rise to power, the ideology that drove its leaders, and the horrific consequences of their rule. To understand the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge regime, one must first consider the historical context of Cambodia before its rise. In the 1950s and 1960s, Cambodia was a relatively stable nation under the leadership of King Norodom Sihanouk. However, the Vietnam War and the regional instability it caused had a profound effect on Cambodia. The United States' bombing campaigns in neighboring Vietnam and the growing presence of communist insurgencies in Southeast Asia laid the groundwork for the rise of the Khmer Rouge. The movement itself had its roots in the ideological shift within Cambodia's communist parties, which embraced Maoist and Marxist-Leninist principles with the goal of creating a radically egalitarian society. The Khmer Rouge’s rise to power was marked by a series of political maneuverings and military successes. As the civil war raged between the Khmer Rouge and the government forces of Cambodia, the country was also caught in the larger Cold War struggle between the communist and capitalist blocs. The Khmer Rouge, initially a small insurgent group, gained widespread support from rural Cambodians who were disillusioned with the urban elite and the ongoing war.