Which leader ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and is responsible for the deaths of almost 2 million people?

• A. Ho Chi Minh
• B. Lon Nol
• C. Norodom Sihanouk
• D. Pol Pot

Answer: (D)

The question tests your ability to identify the Cambodian leader responsible for the Khmer Rouge genocide in the mid to late 1970s. Pol Pot, the head of the Khmer Rouge, led Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979 and pursued radical agrarian social engineering. He aimed to create a classless, purely rural society by abolishing money, religion, and private property, and by evacuating cities and forcing people into brutal labor camps under a policy often labeled as Year Zero. Millions died from starvation, overwork, and execution as educated professionals and perceived enemies were targeted, with death tolls estimates typically near 1.7 to 2 million. The regime fell when Vietnam invaded in 1979, but Pol Pot’s leadership during those years directly connects him to the mass deaths. The other figures were leaders at different times with different roles and did not preside over this genocide.