The Brezhnev Era, 1972-1985: the USA and SE Asia - Continuing Problems in Cambodia

Question 1

Timeline of continuing problems in
Cambodia

Answer 1

• 1970
- Lon Nol overthrows Prince Norodom Sihanouk

• 1971
- US sends 119 military advisers to Phnom Penh

• January 1973
- Paris Peace Agreement

• January 1975
- Khmer Rouge attacks Phnom Penh

• April 1975
• US forces evacuated and North Vietnam reaches victory
• Within week later, Khmer Rouge captures Phnom Penh

• 25 December 1978
- Vietnam, with Soviet aid, invade Cambodia

•January 1979
- Phnom Penh cantured and Hens Samrin is installed

Question 2

Which Cambodian leader was overthrown?
When did this occur?

Answer 2

• Prince Norodom Sihanouk was overthrown by pro-US Lon Nol
- 1970

Question 3

Actions of Khmer Rouge and North
Vietnamese

Answer 3

• Khmer Rouge allied with North Vietnamese and fought against pro-US government
• After Paris Peace Agreement (January 1973) which included halt of US bombing of Cambodia, government hoped Khmer Rouge (only 40,000 members) would stop persisting
• Khmer Rouge intensified its fighting

Question 4

How many members were in the Khmer Rouge by January 1973?

Answer 4

•40,000

Question 5

When was the Paris Peace Agreement finalised?

Answer 5

•January 1973

Question 6

Actions of US

Answer 6

• Initially, US fought with ARVN against Khmer Rouge in
Cambodia
• Nixon withdrew US troops from Cambodia, fearing domestic back ash
• US air force bombed country, dropping 430,000 tons on
Cambodia
• In 1971, US sent 119 advisers to Phnom Penh

Question 7

How many tons of bombs did the US drop on Cambodia?

Answer 7

-430,000 tonnes

Question 8

When did the US send military advisers to Phnom Penh? How many did they send?

Answer 8

• 1971
- 119 advisers

Question 9

Actions of Lon Nol regime

Answer 9

• Army rose to 175,000
• Army was fairly well supported by public but no match for Khmer Rouge, which received North Vietnamese aid
• Fearing his own overthrow, Nol discouraged cooperation across army, navy and air force
• Nol welcomed US arms but didn’t listen to US advice
• Poorly paid, inefficiently led soldiers demoralised and deserted

Question 10

How many people were in Nol’s army?

Answer 10

•175,000

Question 11

Establishment of the Khmer Rouge regime

Answer 11

Khmer Rouge isolated Phnom Penh using pincer strategy and attacked the capital in January 1975
• Government forces fought and dug a trench around the city to avoid its capture
• In April 1975, US forces were evacuated and within a week the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh

Question 12

When did the Khmer Rouge attack Phnom Penh?

Answer 12

•January 1975

Question 13

When were US troops evacuated from Cambodia and when did
Khmer Rouge capture Phnom Penh?

Answer 13

•April 1975
- Within week of US withdrawal, Khmer Rouge capture Phnom Penh

Question 14

Khmer Rouge revolution

Answer 14

• Aims
- To destroy Cambodia’s existing society and create a new agricultural country

• Effects

• Cities emptied as populations forced into countrysides to be farmers and lead peasant lifestyles
• About 1 million killed during revolution
• War led to 700,000 Cambodian deaths
• Almost half of population turned into refugees

Question 15

How many people were killed during the
Khmer Rouge revolution?

Answer 15

• About 1 million people

Question 16

How many Cambodians were killed during the civil war?

Answer 16

• About 700,000 Cambodians

Question 17

How many Cambodians were turned into refugees?

Answer 17

• Almost half of population

Question 18

End of Khmer Rouge

Answer 18

• Khmer Rouge attacked Cambodia-Vietnam border over frontier disputes
• On 25 December 1978, the Vietnamese with Soviet aid, invaded Cambodia
• In January 1979, Phnom Penh was captured
• Pro-Vietnam, Heng Samrin, was installed and political situation stablised

Question 19

When did the Vietnamese with Soviet aid, invade Cambodia?

Answer 19

•25 December 1978

Question 20

When was Phnom Penh captured by the Vietnamese? Who replaced the Khmer Rouge?

Answer 20

•January 1979
- Pro-Vietnam Heng Samrin