Democratic Kampuchea

Kampuchea (1975–1976) Democratic Kampuchea (1976–1979)
1975–1979
Flag of Kampuchea Flag (1976–1979) Emblem (1976–1979)
Anthem: ដប់ប្រាំពីរមេសាមហាជោគជ័យ "Victorious Seventeenth of April" (1976–1979)
Location of Democratic Kampuchea
Capital and largest city	Phnom Penh
Common languages	Khmer
Religion	State atheism
Mode of production	Socialism
Government	Unitary one-party Marxist–Leninist socialist republic
CPK General Secretary
• 1975–1979	Pol Pot
Head of state
• 1975–1976	Norodom Sihanouk
• 1976–1979	Khieu Samphan
Prime Minister
• 1975–1976	Penn Nouth
• 1976	Khieu Samphan (acting)
• 1976	Pol Pot
• 1976	Nuon Chea (acting)
• 1976–1979	Pol Pot
Legislature	People's Representative Assembly
History
• Khmer Rouge capture of Phnom Penh	17 April 1975
• Constitution established	5 January 1976
• Start of Vietnamese invasion	21 December 1978
• Vietnamese capture of Phnom Penh	7 January 1979
• CGDK established	22 June 1982

Democratic Kampuchea was a socialist state in modern Cambodia which existed between 1975 to 1979. The government which ruled the country is often known in the West as the Khmer Rouge. The state was led by the Communist Party of Kampuchea headed by Pol Pot.

The socialist government of Kampuchea initiated several large-scale programs to build a communist society and repair the damages caused by United States bombings, including the evacuation of most urban centers, abolition of currency, and agrarian collectivization. Democratic Kampuchea aligned with the People's Republic of China against the revisionist Soviet Union and maintained relations with other countries such as North Korea. The state would collapse in 1979 with an invasion by the Soviet-backed government of Vietnam and would continue as an insurgency until 1999.

See also

• Communist Party of Kampuchea
• People's Republic of Kampuchea