2020 IB Extended Essays

7

There was something particularly vulnerable within Cambodian society which allowed for

the Khmer Rouge to exploit them, with Stalin’s political philosophies learnt within the Circle

Marxist as a guide. The lessons learnt in the circle Marxist shaped the leadership and

methods applied by the Khmer Rouge. The parallels between the USSR before Stalin and

Cambodia at the time meant that the communist ideology was easily transferred to

Cambodia by members of the Circle Marxist. The main leaders of the party all met at the

Circle Marxist and the Russian political philosophies guided the Khmer Rouge’s rise and

consolidation of power.

Vietnam’s Cambodian Communist Party The Khmer Viet Minh was a Cambodian communist party which was were Pol Pot and the

Khmer Rouge leaders began their spread of influence. Before the Cambodian civil war, the

Khmer Viet Minh was one of the most influential resistance groups against the government.

It was at the time the only political group with international connections and was created by

the Northern Vietnamese communists. They trained and equipped the Khmer communist

military in an effort of building an extensive communist infrastructure throughout

Cambodia. At the time of King Sihanouk’s overthrowal, Khmer communist forces throughout

the country were numbered no more than several thousand 13 . The North Vietnamese

communists heavily aided the Cambodian communist party, travelling through the

countryside and encouraging citizens to join the communist movement. The future leaders

13 Hanoi's Proxy war in Cambodia 1973, CIA Government. n.p., viewed 10 April 2020, < https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80T01719R000400230002-4.pdf >