Upon seizing power in 1975, the Khmer Rouge and their leader Pol Pot began a murderous regime that lasted until 1979. read more
The Khmer Rouge's army was slowly built up in the jungles of Eastern Cambodia during the late 1960s and was supported by the North Vietnamese army, the Viet Cong, and the Pathet Lao. The Khmer Rouge won the Cambodian Civil War when, in 1975, they captured the Cambodian capital and overthrew the government of the Khmer Republic. read more
On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh victorious. Many city residents turned out to welcome the Communist soldiers, hoping that peace would now return after five years of bloodletting. read more
The Khmer Rouge took power at the end of the Cambodian Civil War and were only toppled after the invasion of Cambodia by the neighbouring Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Most of Cambodia remained under Vietnamese occupation for over a decade. read more