Pol Pot

Pol Pot was the revolutionary leader of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge and the de facto ruler of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979.

Pol Pot, born Saloth Sâr, was the revolutionary leader of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge and the de facto ruler of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979. His regime imposed radical agrarian policies, forced mass evacuations from cities, and is widely associated with the Cambodian genocide and the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million to 3 million people.

Early life and rise to power

Born Saloth Sâr in 1925, Pol Pot became involved in Cambodian communist politics and rose to become the leading figure in the Khmer Rouge. He emerged as the dominant leader of the movement before it captured Phnom Penh in 1975.

Rule of Democratic Kampuchea

From 1975 to 1979, Pol Pot’s regime tried to transform Cambodia into a rural, classless society. It abolished normal urban life, emptied cities, and imposed harsh labor and social controls.

Cambodian genocide

Under Pol Pot, large numbers of people died from execution, starvation, forced labour, disease, and abuse. The killings are commonly referred to as the Cambodian genocide, though estimates of the death toll vary by source.

Fall and death

The Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown by Vietnamese forces in 1979, after which Pol Pot remained active in the jungle resistance. He died in 1998 near Anlong Veng, and his death ended one of the most notorious leaderships in modern Southeast Asian history.