The Khmer Rouge
By: Rebecca Chee
What is the Khmer Rouge and
Why are They Important?
 Communist
party who
governed Cambodia
from 1975-1979
 Struggle to rise to
power
 Killing Fields
Questions to be Addressed

What did the Khmer Rouge do in retaliation to the US
bombings? Did they retaliate?
 Who authorized the bombing of Cambodia?
 Why did the USA think Cambodia was being used to
transport supplies to the Communists in Vietnam?
 Did the USA have a responsibility to Cambodia to stop
the Khmer Rouge, and do they have a responsibility now
to help it rebuild?
 Why did Congress ban ground troops in Cambodia, but
not air troops?
 Is the US responsible for the rise of the Khmer Rouge?
Thesis
 The
rise of the Khmer Rouge was caused
by the American bombings and incursions
of Cambodia, the unofficial American
support for the Khmer Serei, and the
American support for the Lon Nol
government.
Arguments

American bombing and incursions facilitated
Khmer Rouge recruitment
 Due to American support for the Khmer Serei,
the Khmer Rouge was able to spark civil unrest,
and thus easily recruit the masses
 The American backed Lon Nol regime allowed
the Khmer Rouge to declare that it was a puppet
government and thus start a civil war
The rise of the Khmer Rouge was caused by the American bombings and incursions of
Cambodia, the unofficial American support for the Khmer Serei, and the American support
for the Lon Nol government.
Argument 1:

US Incursion and Bombing Facilitated
Khmer Rouge Recruitment
The decision to infringe on Cambodia’s national
sovereignty was made in 7 days
 Dropped 3X as many bombs on Cambodia as
they did on Japan during WWII
 Bombing and invasion of Cambodia forced the
peasants to run straight to the Khmer Rouge
The rise of the Khmer Rouge was caused by the American bombings and incursions of
Cambodia, the unofficial American support for the Khmer Serei, and the American
support for the Lon Nol government.
Argument 2:
 Khmer
American Support of the Khmer Serei caused civil
unrest, and thus allowed the Khmer Rouge to
easily recruit the masses
Serei = Free Khmers
 Operation Cherry
 Prince kick US out of Cambodia
 Lost in revenue = increased tensions which
made recruitment easier for the Khmer
Rouge
The rise of the Khmer Rouge was caused by the American bombings and incursions of
Cambodia, the unofficial American support for the Khmer Serei, and the American support
for the Lon Nol government.
Argument #3:

The American backed Lon Nol regime
allowed the Khmer Rouge to declare that
it was a puppet government and thus start
a civil war
US backed gov’t up till this time period had a
history of failure
 US aid constituted over 95% of the Lon Nol
regime’s economy
 Khmer Rouge correctly called the regime a
puppet gov’t
Counter Argument # 1
 Prince
Sihanouk was responsible for the
rise of the Khmer Rouge due to his
incompetence as a leader which allowed
the Khmer Rouge to create civil unrest,
dispose of the Lon Nol Regime, and put
themselves into power.
Counter Argument #2
 The
tension between the peasants and the
elite was simply exploited by the Khmer
Rouge as a tool to help them rise to
power.
Counter Argument #3
 French
Colonial rule is to blame for the
rise of the Khmer Rouge due to this rule,
the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were sent
to France on scholarships where they
were exposed to communism and the
ideas behind the French Revolution.
Works Cited

Anthony Faiola - Washington Post Foreign Service. “Victims of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Fear Derailment of
Trials: [FINAL Edition].” The Washington Post [Washington, D.C.] 2 Feb. 2007, A.10. US National
Newspapers. ProQuest. 8 Feb. 2007 < http://www.proquest.com/>

Canesso, Claudia. Cambodia. Malyasia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

Chronology of American State Terrorism. http://web.archive.org/web/20030401202414/free.freespeech.org/
americanstateterrorism/ChronologyofTerror.html. (March 19, 2007.)

Etcheson, Craig. The Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea.
Colorado: Westview Press, Inc., 1984.

Longmuir, Gordon D. “Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot, Revised Edition / Voices From S-21:
Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison.” Pacific Affairs 73.4 (2001): 620-622. Platinum
Periodicals. ProQuest. 8 Feb. 2007 <http://www.proquest.com/ >

O’Daniel, Larry. “CIA Operation Rouge Cherry.” Trails of Deceit. Arizona: Golden Coast Publishing, 2001. March
19, 2007. http://www.geocities.com/larryjodaniel/17.html.

Pran, Dith. The Cambodian Killing Fields. 16 June 1997. 9 Feb. 2007
<http://www.dithpran.org/killingfields.htm>.

“Statement on Signing the Bill Supporting the Restoration of a Free and Independent Cambodia October 18,
1988.” American Reference Library. Western Standard Publishing Company, 2001.