Cambodian Textbooks: US Bombing and Khmer Rouge Rise

SUMMARY

The teaching of Khmer Rouge history in Cambodian schools has been significantly influenced by political agendas and sociocultural norms since 1979 [2, 6]. Initial textbooks during the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) era in the 1980s focused on portraying the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime, commonly known as the Khmer Rouge, to unify survivors [1]. Major revisions occurred in the early 2000s and again around 2011, incorporating modern teaching methodologies and extending the historical scope from 1953 up to 1998, including an account of the Cambodian genocide [4, 7].

However, a recurring challenge is the sensitivity of the topic due to defections and the presence of former Khmer Rouge members in the contemporary government [5]. This sensitivity has led to textbooks concentrating on the "grim facts" of the Pol Pot era rather than explicit political analysis to ensure official approval [5]. While there is public discussion and inquiry regarding the extent to which US carpet bombings contributed to the rise of the Khmer Rouge [11, 12], it is unclear whether official Cambodian curricula explicitly address this connection, or if it is minimized or omitted from current textbooks.

CLAIMS

1. VERIFIEDCONF 0.90

   Cambodian school textbooks during the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) era (1980s) focused on portraying the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime (Khmer Rouge) to unify survivors.

   — attributed to: Springer chapter on Cambodian textbooks

   • https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6300-860-0_3
2. VERIFIEDCONF 0.90

   Political agendas and sociocultural norms have influenced the inclusion and content of genocide education in Cambodia's formal school curriculum over the last three decades of nation-building.

   — attributed to: Springer content on nation-building and education

   • https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-6209-656-1_8.pdf
3. VERIFIEDCONF 0.90

   History textbooks in Cambodia have been revised to mirror the country's political changes.

   — attributed to: Springer content on textbook revisions

   • https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-6209-656-1_8.pdf
4. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   The Ministry of Education revised social study textbooks for grades 9 to 12 in May 2011 to incorporate portions of DC-Cam's textbook into History, Khmer Studies, and Citizen Morality classes.

   — attributed to: DC-Cam publication on genocide education

   • https://d.dccam.org/Publication/Outreach/pdf/P_Genocide_Education_in_Cambodia.pdf
5. VERIFIEDCONF 0.90

   New textbooks on the Khmer Rouge era are careful to concentrate on the "grim facts" rather than "political analysis" to ensure official approval, partly due to the presence of former Khmer Rouge members in the current government.

   — attributed to: BBC News report

   • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8350313.stm
6. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   The Ministry of Education revised the curriculum in 2000-2001 and published new social studies textbooks for grades 9 and 12, including an account of Cambodian modern history from 1953 up to the 1998 national elections and an account of the Cambodian genocide.

   — attributed to: Transparency International Cambodia paper

   • https://www.ticambodia.org/library/wp-content/files_mf/1436954165ChallengesofteachingGenocideinCambodiainsecondaryschool.pdf
7. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

   The question of whether U.S. carpet bombings in Cambodia gave rise to the Khmer Rouge is a topic of discussion among historians and the public.

   — attributed to: Reddit user on AskHistorians

   • https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3mlexr/working_on_contemporary_history_ia_need_to_find/
   • https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6pf55g/how_did_us_bombing_of_cambodia_contribute_to_the/
8. UNVERIFIABLECONF 0.00

   Contemporary Cambodian textbooks or official curricula omit or minimize the discussion of US bombing in the context of the Khmer Rouge's rise to power.

   — attributed to: Investigative Lead

TIMELINE

• 1953Cambodian independence period begins, marking the start of modern history coverage in some textbooks. [src]
• 1970Prime Minister Lon Nol executes a coup d'etat against Monarch Sihanouk. US administration sees an opportunity in Cambodia. [src]
• 1975Khmer Rouge comes to power in Cambodia. [src]
• 1979Start of the period during which the politics of teaching Khmer Rouge history fluctuated in Cambodia. [src]
• 1980sPeople's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) in power; school textbooks analyze the portrayal of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge). [src]
• 1998National elections mentioned as an endpoint for modern history coverage in some textbooks. [src]
• 2000-2001Ministry of Education revises curriculum and publishes new social studies textbooks for grades 9 and 12. [src]
• 2009A Teacher's Guidebook developed to provide modern teaching methodologies for genocide education. [src]
• 2011-05Ministry of Education revises social study textbooks from grades 9 to 12 to incorporate portions of DC-Cam's textbook. [src]

ENTITIES

• ORG Khmer Rouge — Former ruling regime of Cambodia, subject of historical education
• ORG People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) — Cambodian government in power during the 1980s
• ORG Democratic Kampuchea (DK) — Official name of the Khmer Rouge regime
• ORG Ministry of Education (Cambodia) — Government body responsible for curriculum development and textbook revision
• ORG DC-Cam (Documentation Center of Cambodia) — Organization involved in genocide education and textbook development
• PLACE United States — Nation whose bombing campaigns are subject of inquiry
• PLACE Cambodia — Country whose history education is being investigated
• PERSON Pol Pot — Leader of the Khmer Rouge
• PERSON Lon Nol — American-friendly Prime Minister who executed a coup in Cambodia in 1970

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

• Obtain copies of current Cambodian social studies textbooks (grades 9-12) to analyze their content regarding the US bombing campaign and its purported link to the Khmer Rouge's rise.
• Investigate official Cambodian Ministry of Education curriculum guidelines or directives issued post-2011 to determine specific instructions on teaching the US bombing and its context.
• Identify and interview Cambodian educators or curriculum developers about their perspectives on the inclusion or exclusion of the US bombing narrative in historical education.
• Locate any scholarly analyses or reports specifically detailing how the US bombing of Cambodia is presented, or not presented, in contemporary Cambodian educational materials.
• Examine any public statements or policy documents from the Cambodian government or educational authorities regarding the framing of external influences on the Khmer Rouge's ascent.

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

1. [WEB] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8350313.stm [archived]

   A series of defections and the presence of former Khmer Rouge members in the current government mean it is still a sensitive issue to tackle. So the new textbook is careful to concentrate on the grim facts of the Pol Pot era, rather than any political analysis. And that has ensur…

2. [WEB] https://www.ticambodia.org/library/wp-content/files_mf/1436954165ChallengesofteachingGenocideinCambodiainsecondaryschool.pdf [archived]

   The Ministry of Education finally revised the existing curriculum in 2000-2001 and published new social studies textbooks for grades 9 and 12.The new textbooks included an account of Cambodian modern history, from the independent period in 1953 up to the 1998 national elections, …

3. [WEB] https://macmillan.yale.edu/gsp/literacy-and-education-under-khmer-rouge [archived]

   In terms of printing, we know that the Khmer Rouge made use of the printing presses in Phnom Penh. The type set that was used is the same one used before 1975 in Cambodian newspapers and journals, such as those published by the Buddhist Institute.

4. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/78g1da/what_are_good_sources_to_learn_about_the_khmer/ [archived]

   What are good sources to learn about the Khmer Rouge regime? I want to learn more about the topic because I am not figuring the big picture of this era in Cambodia's history yet, so it makes me very curious. Are there any books that are recommended? Archived post. New comments ca…

5. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/orrvsi/cambodian_books_not_about_the_khmer_rouge/ [archived]

   I know there's a third book but I'm also really interested in reading just some general or contemporary Cambodian fiction, preferably by Cambodian authors. It seems every book I come across deals with the Khmer Rouge which I get is a very big event in Cambodian history but I'd li…

6. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3mlexr/working_on_contemporary_history_ia_need_to_find/ [archived]

   My IA question is "To what extent did the U.S. carpet bombings in Cambodia give rise to the Khmer Rouge". I would like to find more resources from Cambodia because so far I have the American sources and Nixon's precidency.

7. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6pf55g/how_did_us_bombing_of_cambodia_contribute_to_the/ [archived]

   The US administration saw an opportunity in Cambodia, when american-friendly Prime Minister Lon Nol executed a coup d'etat against then - Monarch Sihanouk in 1970. Lon Nol promised to get rid of the North Vietnamese troops, who used Cambodia as a retreat, as well as the Khmer Rou…

8. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/Socialism_101/comments/1b6v58v/why_did_the_us_and_the_west_ignore_the_genocide/

   176 votes, 76 comments. So the US and the West do not condemn the Khmer Rouge regime and ignore the genocide in Cambodia in 1975?

9. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/Documentaries/comments/7aebuc/year_zero_the_silent_death_of_cambodia1979details/ [archived]

   The US supported the government of Lon Nol, an unpopular, repressive anticommunist who rose to power in a military coup in 1970 and first lost the support of the Cambodian people and then power to the Khmer Rouge.

10. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1cmdee6/why_were_the_massacres_commited_by_the_khmer/

    The point I am making here is that by 1975 when the Khmer Rouge came to power, the bulk of the Vietnamese minority had already fled Vietnam. Coupled with the 1975 expulsions under the Khmer Rouge, only a fraction of the pre-1970 Vietnamese minority remained in Cambodia (now Kampu…

11. [WEB] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6300-860-0_3 [archived]

    This chapter analyzes school textbooks in Cambodia during the 1980s when the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was in power. Our paper focuses on the portrayal inside textbooks of Democratic Kampuchea (DK), which was the regime that preceded the PRK and is commonly known as th…

12. [WEB] https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-6209-656-1_8.pdf

    I argue that in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime and during the last three decades of nation-building, political agendas and sociocultural norms have influenced both the inclusion and content of genocide education in Cambodia's formal school curriculum. The revision of his…

13. [WEB] https://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weekend/injecting-something-new-study-cambodias-dark-past

    New initatives seek to change the way the history of the Khmer Rouge regime is taught in Cambodian classrooms. Photo supplied Cambodia's grade-12 students currently have their sights set on the future: August 8, the date of the national high school exit exam. But if history is an…

14. [WEB] https://d.dccam.org/Publication/Outreach/pdf/P_Genocide_Education_in_Cambodia.pdf [archived]

    A Teacher's Guidebook was also developed in 2009 to provide teachers with modern teaching methodologies. With the support of these books, in May 2011, the Ministry of Education revised its social study textbooks from grades 9 to 12 to incorporate portions of DC-Cam's textbook int…

15. [WEB] https://ticambodia.org/library/ti_resource/challenges-of-teaching-genocide-in-cambodian-secondary-schools/

    This paper examines the politics of teaching Khmer Rouge (KR) history from 1979 to 2012—the conditions of which fluctuated through the political regimes and atmospheres in Cambodia. The paper also briefly examines the background of the Cambodian education system since…Read more ›

16. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7opjxn/how_practically_did_the_khmer_rouge_manage_to/ [archived]

    The murder of 1.5-3 million people under the Khmer Rouge is mind-boggling to me. Given that every single person involved with the basic levels of the regime would themselves very likely have family members at risk or already dead, how did the bureaucracy, military, and economy ev…

CROSS-REFERENCE

• → SHARES-ACTOR US Bombing of Cambodia and its Impact on the Khmer Rouge Rise (1969-1973) — Both reference Lon Nol, Dc, Pol Pot
• → SHARES-ACTOR US Bombing of Cambodia and its Alleged Impact on Khmer Rouge Recruitment — Both reference Lon Nol, Dc, Cambodia
• → SHARES-ACTOR US, UK, and China Support for Khmer Rouge UN Seat After 1979 — Both reference People S Republic Of Kampuchea Prk, Prk, Khmer Rouge