Cambodia Culture, Geography and History

Recent History

The events that have shaped Cambodia’s recent history began with the Communist Party of Kampuchea overpowering the Khmer Republic after more than 100 days of fierce fighting. What followed was a radical change in society, with Pol Pot leading the country now known as Kampuchea. This brutal regime soon set about restructuring society and was responsible for committing awful atrocities against the civilian population. Religion and education were repressed, currency and banking were abolished and people were sent to work in the fields. Business people, educators, scholars and other high-ranking members of society were hunted down and murdered by the Khmer Rouge. It's estimated that hundreds of thousands of people (possibly millions) were murdered between 1975 and 1979. In addition to this, many more died of starvation and disease due to lack of medical care and nourishment.

This nationalistic, murderous regime was finally overcome by the Vietnamese Army in 1979, signalling the beginning of the peace process and the establishment of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea. In 1993, millions of Cambodians voted to elect a new government, which then ratified a new constitution, and in 2004 a tribunal was established to serve justice to the people who committed atrocities during the Khmer Rouge era.

Today, Cambodia is rebuilding and moving on from it’s tragic past. Many NGOs have set up programs that empower and support Cambodians with education, health care, training and counselling. While wide-scale poverty and other social problems remain, Cambodia continues to gain strength from its burgeoning tourism industry, and has recently been successful in increasing access to education and health care as well as improving overall living standards.