2020 IB Extended Essays

2

Introduction The Khmer Rouge was the ruling party of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. While their rule of

power only extended for 4 years, the cruelty of their leadership exercised while leading the

party was unparalleled 1 . During the Khmer Rouge millions of Cambodians were brutally

tortured and murdered with estimates of 2 million people dying 2 . This essay will investigate

the rise of the Khmer Rouge, and the external influences which played a significant role. The

focus will be on the events that led up to the rule of the Khmer Rouge rather than the

events throughout. It is crucial to continue to investigate this topic, as many of those

involved are either still undertrial, or are currently free, and have never been charged with

their horrendous crimes. Exploring the impacts of foreign influences allows for a national

reconciliation and for countries to consider the impact of both action and inaction. This

torturous period of 4 years had a tremendously negative impact on Cambodian society and

still to this day the effects are noticeable.

This paper is ordered thematically by each foreign factor which played a role in the ascent to

power by the Khmer Rouge, where the extent to which each factor assisted the rise to

power being evaluated individually. The following essay argues that foreign influences were

a significant factor in the rise to power. The history of foreign influence in Cambodia,

particularly the after affects of French colonisation, left Cambodia ill-equipped for

independence. The Circle Marxist and the works of Stalinism provided the Khmer Rouge

leaders with a justification of the reign of communism. The Khmer Viet Minh meant that

1 Pran, D 2020, Cambodia, University of Minnesota, viewed 24 April 2020, < https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide- education/resource-guides/cambodia > 2 History.com Editors 2018, Khmer Rouge, A&E Television Networks, viewed 11 April 2020, < https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/the-khmer-rouge >