Pol Pot

== Cambodian Civil War ==
{{main|Cambodian Civil War}}

=== Against Sihanouk ===
In January 1968, the war was launched with an attack on the Bay Damran army post south of [[Battambang]].{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=84|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=174}} Further attacks targeted police and soldiers and seized weaponry.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=174}} The government responded with [[scorched earth|scorched-earth]] policies, aerially bombarding areas where rebels were active.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=175}} The army's brutality aided the insurgents' cause;{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=86|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=175–76}} as the uprising spread, over 100,000 villagers joined them.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=174}} In the summer, Sâr relocated his base {{convert|48|km}} north to the more mountainous Naga's Tail, to avoid encroaching government troops.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=176}} At this base, called K-5, he increased his dominance over the party and had his own separate encampment, staff, and guards. No outsider was allowed to meet him without an escort.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=176}} He took over from Sary as the Secretary of the North East Zone.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=177}} In November 1969, Sâr trekked to Hanoi to persuade the North Vietnamese government to provide direct military assistance. They refused, urging him to revert to a political struggle.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=188}} In January 1970 he flew to Beijing.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=188}} There, his wife began showing early signs of the [[Paranoid schizophrenia|chronic paranoid schizophrenia]] she would later be diagnosed with.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=210}}

=== Against Lon Nol ===

==== Collaboration with Sihanouk: 1970–1971 ====
[[File:LonNol (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|In 1970, a coup led to Lon Nol taking control of Cambodia and instituting a right-wing, pro-U.S. administration]]

In March 1970, while Sâr was in Beijing, Cambodian parliamentarians led by [[Lon Nol]] deposed Sihanouk when he was out of the country.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=89|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=195–97}} Sihanouk also flew to Beijing, where the Chinese and North Vietnamese Communist Parties urged him to form an alliance with the Khmer Rouge to overthrow Lon Nol's right-wing government. Sihanouk agreed.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1pp=89–90|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=198–99}} On [[Zhou Enlai]]'s advice, Sâr also agreed, although his dominant role in the CPK was concealed from Sihanouk.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=200}} Sihanouk then formed his own [[government-in-exile]] in Beijing and launched the [[National United Front of Kampuchea]] to rally Lon Nol's opponents.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=199–200}} Sihanouk's support for the Khmer Rouge helped greatly in recruitment, with Khmer Rouge undergoing a massive expansion in size. Many of the new recruits for the Khmer Rouge were apolitical peasants who fought in support of the King, not for communism, of which they had little understanding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IC15Ae01.html|title=Dining with the Dear Leader|work=Asia Time|access-date=26 August 2020|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818154602/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IC15Ae01.html|url-status=unfit}}</ref>

In April 1970, Sâr flew to Hanoi.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=202}} He stressed to Lê Duẩn that while he wanted the Vietnamese to supply the Khmer Rouge with weapons, he did not want troops: the Cambodians needed to oust Lon Nol themselves.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=204}} North Vietnamese armies, in collaboration with the Viet Cong, nevertheless invaded Cambodia to attack Lon Nol's forces; in turn, South Vietnam and the United States sent troops to the country to bolster his government.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=202–03}} This pulled Cambodia into the [[Vietnam War|Second Indochina War]] already raging across Vietnam.{{sfn|Chandler|1992|p=87}} The U.S. dropped three times as many bombs on Cambodia during the conflict as they had on Japan during World War II.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=216}} Although targeting Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge encampments, the bombing primarily affected civilians.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=215}} This helped fuel recruitment to the Khmer Rouge,{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=101|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=218}} which had an estimated 12,000 regular soldiers at the end of 1970 and four times that number by 1972.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=218}}

[[File:11ACRCambodia1970.jpg|thumb|left|After Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia to overthrow Lon Nol's government, the U.S. (forces pictured) also sent in its military to bolster his administration]]

In June 1970, Sâr left Vietnam and reached his K-5 base.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=210–11}} In July he headed south; it was at this point that he began referring to himself as "Pol", a name he later lengthened to "Pol Pot".{{sfn|Short|2004|p=212}} By September, he was based at a camp on the border of [[Kratié Province|Kratie]] and [[Kampong Thom Province|Kompong Thom]], where he convened a meeting of the CPK Standing Committee. Although few senior members could attend, it issued a resolution setting out the principle of "independence-mastery", the idea that Cambodia must be self-reliant and fully independent of other countries.{{sfnm|1a1=Short|1y=2004|1p=213|2a1=Hinton|2y=2005|2p=382}} In November, Pol Pot, Ponnary, and their entourage relocated to the K-1 base at Dângkda.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=222}} His residence was set up on the northern side of the Chinit river; entry was strictly controlled.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=223–24}} By the end of the year, Marxist forces had a presence in over half of Cambodia;{{sfn|Short|2004|p=216}} the Khmer Rouge played a restricted role in this, for throughout 1971 and 1972, the majority of fighting against Lon Nol was carried out by Vietnamese or by Cambodians under Vietnamese control.{{sfn|Chandler|1992|p=95}}

In January 1971, a Central Committee meeting was held at this base, bringing together 27 delegates to discuss the war.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=225}} During 1971, Pol Pot and the other senior party members focused on the construction of a regular Khmer Rouge army and administration that could take a central role when the Vietnamese withdrew.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=222}} Membership of the party was made more selective, permitting only those regarded as "poor peasants", not those seen as "middle peasants" or students.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=223}} In July and August, Pol Pot oversaw a month-long training course for CPK cadres in the Northern Zone headquarters.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=227}} This was followed by the CPK's Third Congress, attended by around 60 delegates, where Pol Pot was confirmed as the Secretary of the Central Committee and Chairman of its Military Commission.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=227}}

=== Continuing the conflict: 1972 ===
[[File:Khmer rouge clothing.jpg|thumb|upright|Uniforms worn by the Khmer Rouge during their period of control]]

In early 1972, Pol Pot embarked on his first tour of the Marxist-controlled areas across Cambodia.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=227}} In these areas, called "liberated zones", corruption was stamped out, gambling was banned, and alcohol and extramarital affairs were discouraged.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=230}} From 1970 to 1971, the Khmer Rouge had generally sought to cultivate good relations with the inhabitants, organising local elections and assemblies.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=229}} Some people regarded as hostile to the movement were executed, although this was uncommon.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=230}} Private motor transport was requisitioned.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=231}} Wealthier peasants had their land redistributed so that by the end of 1972, all families living in the Marxist-controlled areas possessed an equal amount of land.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=230–31}} The poorest strata of Cambodian society benefited from these reforms.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=231}}

From 1972, the Khmer Rouge began trying to refashion all of Cambodia in the image of the poor peasantry, whose rural, isolated, and self-sufficient lives were regarded as worthy of emulation.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=232}} As of May 1972, the group began ordering all of those living under its control to dress like poor peasants, with black clothes, red-and-white ''[[krama]]'' scarves, and sandals made from car tyres. These restrictions were initially imposed on the [[Chams|Cham]] ethnic group before being rolled out across other communities.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=100|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=230, 236}} Pol Pot also dressed in this fashion.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=236}}

CPK members were expected to attend regular (sometimes daily) "lifestyle meetings" in which they engaged in criticism and self-criticism. These cultivated an atmosphere of perpetual vigilance and suspicion within the movement.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=233–34}} Pol Pot and [[Nuon Chea]] led such sessions at their headquarters, although they were exempt from criticism themselves.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=235}} By early 1972, relations between the Khmer Rouge and its Vietnamese Marxist allies were becoming strained and some violent clashes had broken out.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=100|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=236}} That year, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong main-force divisions began pulling out of Cambodia, primarily because they were needed for the offensive against Saigon.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=237}} As it became more dominant, the CPK imposed increasing numbers of controls over Vietnamese troops active in Cambodia.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=237–38}} In 1972, Pol Pot suggested that Sihanouk leave Beijing and tour the areas of Cambodia under CPK control. When Sihanouk did so, he met with senior CPK figures, including Pol Pot, although the latter's identity was concealed from the king.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1pp=101–04|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=242–44}}

=== Collectivisation and the conquest of Phnom Penh: 1973–1975 ===
In May 1973, Pol Pot ordered the collectivisation of villages in territory that the Khmer Rouge controlled.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=105|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=246–47}} This move was both ideological, in that it built a socialist society void of private property, and tactical, in that it allowed the Khmer Rouge greater control over the food supply, ensuring that farmers did not provision government forces.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=247}} Many villagers resented the collectivisation and slaughtered their livestock to prevent it from becoming collective property.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=246}} Over the following six months, about 60,000 Cambodians fled from areas under Khmer Rouge control.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=247}} The Khmer Rouge introduced [[conscription]] to bolster its forces.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=249}} Relations between the Khmer Rouge and the North Vietnamese remained strained. After the latter temporarily reduced the flow of arms to the Khmer Rouge, in July 1973 the CPK Central Committee agreed that the North Vietnamese should be considered "a friend with a conflict".{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=249–51}} Pol Pot ordered the internment of many of the Khmer Rouge who had spent time in North Vietnam and were considered too sympathetic to them. Most of these people were later executed.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=249–50}}

In summer 1973, the Khmer Rouge launched its first major assault on Phnom Penh, but was forced back amid heavy losses.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=104|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=249}} Later that year, it began bombarding the city with artillery.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=107|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=254}} In the autumn, Pol Pot traveled to a base at Chrok Sdêch on the eastern foothills of the [[Cardamom Mountains]].{{sfn|Short|2004|p=251}} By winter, he was back at the Chinit Riber base where he conferred with Sary and Chea.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=255}} He concluded that the Khmer Rouge should start talking openly about its commitment to making Cambodia a socialist society and launch a secret campaign to oppose Sihanouk's influence.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=256}} In September 1974, a Central Committee meeting was held at Meakk in Prek Kok commune.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=256}} There the Khmer Rouge agreed that it would expel the populations of Cambodia's cities to rural villages. They thought this was necessary to dismantle capitalism which they associated with the urban culture.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=107|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=256–57}}

[[File:View of Phnom Penh from CH-53.jpg|thumb|left|View of Phnom Penh from a US helicopter, 12 April 1975]]

By 1974, Lon Nol's government had lost a great deal of support, both domestically and internationally.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=261}} In 1975, the troops defending Phnom Penh began discussing surrender, eventually doing so and allowing the Khmer Rouge to enter the city on 17 April.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=108|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=265–68}} There, Khmer Rouge soldiers executed between 700 and 800 senior government, military, and police figures.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=271}} Other senior figures escaped; Lon Nol fled into exile in the US.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=107|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=263}} He left [[Saukham Khoy]] as acting president, although he too fled aboard a departing US Navy ship just twelve days later.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=264}} Within the city, Khmer Rouge militia under the control of different Zone commanders clashed with one another, partly as a result of [[wikt:turf war|turf war]]s and partly due to the difficulty of establishing who was a group member and who was not.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=275}}

The Khmer Rouge had long viewed Phnom Penh's population with mistrust, particularly as the city's numbers had been swelled by peasant refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge's advance and were considered to be traitors.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=108|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=254}} Shortly after taking the city, the Khmer Rouge announced that its inhabitants had to evacuate to escape a forthcoming US bombing raid; the group falsely claimed that the population would be allowed to return after three days.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1p=108|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2p=271}} This evacuation entailed moving over 2.5 million people out of the city with very little preparation;{{sfn|Short|2004|p=272}} between 15,000 and 20,000 of these were removed from the city's hospitals and forced to march.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=273}} Checkpoints were erected along the roads out of the city where Khmer Rouge cadres searched marchers and removed many of their belongings.{{sfn|Short|2004|pp=278–79}} The march took place in the hottest month of the year and an estimated 20,000 people died along the route.{{sfnm|1a1=Chandler|1y=1992|1pp=108–09|2a1=Short|2y=2004|2pp=272–73}}{{sfn|Short|2004|p=275}} For the Khmer Rouge, emptying Phnom Penh was considered as demolishing not just capitalism in Cambodia, but also Sihanouk's power base and the spy network of the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA). This dismantling facilitated Khmer Rouge dominance over the country and enabled driving the urban population toward agricultural production.{{sfn|Short|2004|p=287}}