In April 1975 Khmer Rouge forces attacked Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia) and established a new government. The military leader of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, became Cambodia’s prime minister.
The Khmer Rouge embarked on a radical programme of social reform that aimed to turn Cambodia into an agrarian socialist republic. They emptied the cities and moved the urban population into rural camps where they were forced to work as labourers in collective farms. They also arrested and imprisoned any potential dissidents. As a result, up to 2 million Cambodians were killed in a few years (up to 25% of the population). In 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime.
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