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Read more: 1970 to 1975 Lon Nol regime and civil war Bombing The United States bombing of Cambodia continued for four years (1969 - 1973). Over this time it increased until large areas in the east of the country were systematically being carpet-bombed. Civil War The bombing turned rural Cambodians against Lon Nol and the Americans. Lon Nol ignored his serious lack of military capability. As he lost support, his rule became dictatorial and erratic. This increased support for the Khmer Rouge from 3,000 people in 1970 to 30,000 in 1973. The Khmer Rouge fought Lon Nol's forces to gain control of the country. Refugees fleeing the bombing and fighting turned to the more secure cities. Between 50,000 and 150,000 died and over one million refugees flooded the capital city, Phnom Penh, causing severe overcrowding and food shortages. As the Khmer Rouge defeated government forces, the cities came under a shelling siege.
French Influence By the 1970s the French system of education finally changed and became more Khmer. Teachers no longer taught in French and schools stopped employing teachers from France. Definitions Carpet-bombing: Bombing of a broad area, usually by multiple strikes of B-52 planes. Dumb bombs, napalm, and sometimes cluster bombs were used leaving many bomb craters. Coup: A sudden, violent or illegal seizure of government. From the French phrase "coup d'état" literally meaning "stroke of state". Khmer: A person from Cambodia; the language spoken in Cambodia; anything relating to this people or their language. Khmer Rouge: The Cambodian communists who took control of Cambodia for four years from 1975 to 1978. (From French - "rouge" meaning "red", the colour associated with communism.)
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copyright worldvision 2003
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