Discuss the domestic impact of the Khmer Rouge’s regime in Cambodia.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the domestic impact of the Khmer Rouge’s regime in Cambodia. Candidates may offer equal coverage of the social, political and economic impact or they may prioritize their discussion of one of these aspects. However, all aspects of domestic policy will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to the social issues of orphans, forced marriages, loss of culture and the lost generation. Survivors faced psychological trauma due to sexual violence and a number of women became sex slaves prostituting themselves for survival in exchange for food or medicine. Health problems occurred due to injuries that remained untreated over a long period. The regime killed about two million people. Politically, the authoritarian structure ensured that people had no civil rights. They were forced to show loyalty to the regime often reporting and killing even their parents and neighbours. There was economic decline and extreme poverty as farmers lost their farmlands.