Democratic Kampuchea

Democratic Kampuchea was a country in Southeast Asia (the same place as Cambodia today). From 1975-1979, a group called the Khmer Rouge was in power and changed the country's name to Democratic Kampuchea. The Khmer Rouge said they wanted to create a new, better government and economy so that everyone in the country could be happy and have enough food and a good life. But unfortunately, what actually happened was very different – the Khmer Rouge forced people to move from their homes and work in the fields all day, and did not give them enough food. The Khmer Rouge also punished anyone who they thought was not following the rules or was against them. Many people died because of the Khmer Rouge's harsh rules, and were even killed. In 1979, the Khmer Rouge was overthrown and the country changed its name back to Cambodia.