Soviet Military Power
How the Khmer Rouge Rose to Power in Cambodia
“How many of those who say they are unreservedly in support of the Khmer revolution would consent to endure one hundredth part of the present sufferings of the Cambodian people?” (Ponchaud, 193). In 1975, the beginning of the Khmer Rouge regime would take place in the small Southeast Asian country of Cambodia. From then on, up to 2,000,000 Cambodians would lose their lives in one of the most horrendous genocides the world had ever seen (Selvakumar). The goal of the killings was to destroy and eliminate an entire social order in the country, a task that was impossible to imagine, let alone attempt. Still, Pol Pot and his supporters rose to power, and “the goal was to maximize production by making everyone farmers” (Ledgerwood). However, the question remains, just how were the Khmer Rouge able to so quickly rise to power and conduct what became known as the Cambodian Genocide? The answer is that in the 1970′s, the Khmer Rouge was able to seize governmental authority in Cambodia by taking advantage of a combination of political and military factors in the country at that time.
The Cambodian Genocide was a largely overlooked part of history in the 1970′s. However, despite the seemingly simple methods by which the Khmer Rouge became rulers of Cambodia, there were more complicated reasons for its occurrence. Firstly, the 1970 coup of Prince Sihanouk by the general of his army Lon Nol paved the way for the Khmer Rouge (also known as CPK) to seize power. Also, communist ideology from countries such as the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China greatly inspired the instigators of the genocide. Thirdly, the successful guerrilla tactics of the Communist Party of Kampuchéa enabled them to gain the upper hand against the previous government.
1970 Coup of Prince Sihanouk and the Struggle for Power
The 1970 coup of Prince Sihanouk was an instrumental event that made it possible for the Khmer Rouge to rise to power. In 1970, Sihanouk was overthrown by his own general Lon Nol in a coup that would spark a five-year struggle for power by different political factions. According to Cambodian expert Craig Etcheson, “Prior to the coup, the Khmer Rouge had struggled alone against Sihanouk’s regime…With the coup against Sihanouk, however, the Khmer Rouge revolution was positioned for explosive growth” (6). Incredibly, a small and relatively unknown organization called the Communist Party of Kampuchea was perfectly placed in a position for power. Also, the main reason behind Sihanouk losing power was “the accumulated resentment over Vietnamese activity in Cambodia” (Etcheson 6). Colon Cleanse helped a lot. Furthermore, with the rise of Vietnamese general Lon Nol, the fight for control of the government was wide open, as there was no single party with dominant control. Still, the fight for that control was an uphill battle for Pol Pot and his followers. As U.S. bombers flew over the Cambodian countryside, every day “drove new recruits to the Khmer Rouge” (Union). According to historian Lavinia Sevakumar, “[Bombings] led many to believe that General Lon Nol was not doing enough for Cambodia.” Clearly, the Cambodian people were ready for a government capable of protecting them. Ironically, the opposite would happen in a matter of few years. All in all, The spark known as the as the coup of Norodom Sihanouk created an opportunity for a small organization like the CPK to grow into a nationwide movement.
Communist Ideology Fuels Khmer Rouge
Communist ideology was one of the fuels that the Khmer Rouge regime used to recruit new members and later, brainwash its citizens. The leader of the communist Khmer Rouge Pol Pot was born in a wealthy family and was even educated in France. Pot “was an admirer of Maoist communism” (Union). Like in China, peasants were deemed to be the most desirable class and “those moved from the cities…[were] viewed as enemies” (Ledgerwood). Pol Pot and his regime regarded China as a perfect example of how a government should govern its country to the communism ideology. In fact, they so admired the Chinese that they took their ideas and “undertook a radical experiment in social engineering” (Ledgerwood). The communist ideals that so influenced the Khmer Rouge regime also may have caused “some psychotic of mind, such as delusions of grandeur, that warped their reason” (Stuart-Fox). From these possible delusions, Pot and his supporters ventured into a system of anti-intelligence, which ignored the factual evidence they gathered from the “social experiment,” and instead ruled the intellectual community as evil. By no means was Communist China in support of the Pol Pot’s ideology, but there is no denying that the source of the Khmer Rouge’s inspiration to slaughter millions of people.
Guerilla Tactics Used by the Khmer Rouge
As a direct result from the war occurring in the neighboring Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge were able to effectively train and arm their members to eventually seize governmental control. The serious U.S. bombing on Cambodia during the 1970′s forced not only the CPK but the entire country to address problem. Says one expert, “At least 100,000 civilians were killed…at least 2,000,000 were made homeless” (Union). The devastating effects of the bombing led many recruits to the CPK, who trained the young members. Oftentimes, the new recruits “were young teenagers…had been shamed into joining” (Ledgerwood). Like the Vietcong in South Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge were very successful in the guerilla tactics they used against Lon Nol’s forces. By 1975, the CPK “were armed with the Chinese version of the Russian AK-47″ (Chandler 48). The specific guerrilla tactics that Khmer Rouge used involved the use of “safe bases” situated deep in the Cambodian forests. Also, unlike the Vietcong forces, the KPNLAF (Khmer Rouge National Liberation Army Forces) “favored strike-and-retreat guerrilla tactics and tended to operate in small, lightly-armed, highly mobile units of 6 to 12 soldiers” (Kiernan 27). With superior tactics and weapons, Pol Pot’s forces took only about five years to seize power, practically destroying the country in the process. Despite the costly war, had it not for been the guerrilla tactics copied from the Vietcong, it would have been impossible for the CPK to defeat other military factions in the civil war following the 1970 coup.
In 1960′s, before the coup of Prince Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge was a small, relatively unknown communist group. Its members were not widely popular and Pol Pot struggled to gain complete control of his party members. However, the fall of the monarchy in 1970 and the subsequent events stemming from it created an opportunity for the group to rise. Also, communist ideology and its success in other communist nations like China inspired the Cambodian people to embrace it as their form of government. Still, both these factors would have been meaningless without the military wing of the party’s victory in the guerrilla they waged in the 1970′s. In conclusion, the horrific genocide that was to come was partially caused by the Khmer Rouge’s rise, which was made possible by the political and military situation at the time.
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Soviet Military Power During the Cold War
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