Who led the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia?

• A. Hun Sen
• B. Norodom Sihanouk
• C. Pol Pot
• D. Khieu Samphan

Answer: (C)

Pol Pot was the driving force behind the Khmer Rouge genocide. As the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and the de facto leader of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979, he directed the regime’s radical plan to reshape Cambodia into a rural, classless agrarian society. That vision led to brutal policies: evacuating cities, dismantling institutions, abolishing money, and compelling people into forced labor camps. These actions produced widespread executions, famine, and the deaths of an estimated 1.7 to 2 million people, primarily intellectuals, professionals, religious leaders, ethnic minorities, and perceived opponents. While other senior figures like Khieu Samphan held high titles and participated in governance, the scale and direction of the genocide came from Pol Pot’s leadership and orders. The regime fell in 1979 after a Vietnamese invasion, and Pol Pot remained the central figure until his death in 1998.