Activity 1 - What was the regime like?

  1. Watch - Watch the documentary video ‘BBC Timewatch - Pol Pot: the journey to the killing fields’. As you watch, take notes on the following questions which give you an overview of Pol Pot’s Cambodia.
  2. Research - In groups, complete this worksheet by each researching a different aspect of the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79). Use the following sources to help you research and take notes on the key events:
    1. Sanders, V. (2015). Access to History: The Cold War in Asia 1945-93, pp. 222-228
    2. Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge 
    3. Khmer Rouge ideology
    4. The Digital Archive of Cambodia Holocaust Survivors
    5. S21 Victims   
    6. Vietnam: A Television History - Cambodia and Laos [8/11]
    7. Enemies of the People - Trailer 
  3. Reflect - Read this article from 1975 about the Khmer Rouge takeover of Phnom Penh. Then watch the movie, ‘The Killing Fields’ which is a dramatisation of journalist Sydney Schanberg’s experiences in Cambodia. What made this event ‘an astonishing spectacle’? What can you learn from both sources regarding the ideology and actions of the Khmer Rouge?

Activity 2 - Why did Vietnam invade in 1978?

  1. Read - Read pages 228-229 of Sanders, V. (2015). Access to History: The Cold War in Asia 1945-93. Make a list in your notes of all the resources why Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978. As you do, rank the causes.
  2. Discuss - Explore this article and compare it with your notes from Sanders. Which reasons do you think were the most significant for the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia?
  3. Examine - Explore the five short articles on this webpage. Then re-examine the article ‘Back to Square One’. Create a compass table to identify the actions of these four powers:
    1. Cambodian Government (backed by Vietnam)
    2. Khmer Rouge (Sihanouk and China)
    3. USA
    4. Vietnam and the USSR
  4. Develop - Now read pages 229-232 of Sanders, V. (2015). Access to History: The Cold War in Asia 1945-93. Identify the actions taken by each of the major powers in Cambodia during the Second Civil War (1979-89) and add these notes to your compass table.
  5. Reflect - Which entity drove the Cambodian situation the most during the period 1979-89? How did the Cold War affect the situation?
  6. Extend - Read this article from the BBC website on the Vietnam invasion, 'Vietnam's forgotten Cambodian War'. Why are parallels drawn between this war and the American/Vietnam War?

Activity 3 - How was the conflict resolved?

  1. FExamine - Examine page 233 of Sanders, V. (2015). Access to History: The Cold War in Asia 1945-93. Make notes on how the civil war in Cambodia was finally resolved.
  2. Analyse - Read this article from The Phnom Penh Post on the UN involvement in Cambodia. What points does it make (a) in favour of and (b) against international actions and the role of the UN in Cambodia?
  3. Research - Did the UN do a worthwhile job in Cambodia? In groups, brainstorm this question using the following sources:
    1. United Nations in Cambodia 
    2. The United Nations’ involvement in Cambodia, 25 years on 
    3. Cambodia (UNTAC), 1992 - 1993 
    4. Cambodia: The Legacy and Lessons of UNTAC 
    5. Vietnam's forgotten Cambodian war 
  4. Explore - What happened to Pol Pol and the Khmer Rouge leadership? Find out using this article to start your research.

Further Reading

OBLIGATORY READING
  1. Sanders, V. (2015). Access to History: The Cold War in Asia 1945-93, pp. 222-228
RECOMMENDED READING
  1. Tully, J. (2005). A Short History of Cambodia: From Empire to Survival, pp. 171-195
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
  1. Short, P. (2004). Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare, Chapters 8-12
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