Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Victory, Persecution and Economic Collapse Student Worksheet helps students understand why so many Cambodians were displaced during the Indochina refugee crisis. After years of war, bombing and civil conflict, the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and began reshaping Cambodia through forced evacuation, persecution, forced labour and economic control. This worksheet gives students a clear foundation for understanding how Communist victory, fear of reprisals and economic hardship combined to create mass displacement.

What students will learn

Students will:

• explain how the Vietnam War and Cambodian Civil War destabilised Cambodia;
• understand why the Khmer Rouge were able to take power in 1975;
• examine how forced evacuation created immediate displacement;
• explore how former officials, educated people, Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese became vulnerable;
• understand how economic policies, including the abolition of markets, cooperatives, forced labour and food shortages, made life unsafe or unsustainable;
• practise linking evidence directly to an inquiry question.

The activities help students move beyond basic recall. Students sort causes of displacement, analyse Khmer Rouge policies, judge turning points, consider different perspectives and complete a Paper 1-style source analysis task. These tasks support stronger historical thinking and help students practise explaining how source content can answer an inquiry question.

What’s included

• Student worksheet on Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge
• Guiding questions
• Key content sections
• Key terms table
• Cause sorting task
• Khmer Rouge policy impact chart
• Turning points timeline activity
• Perspectives activity
• Paper 1-style source analysis practice
• Class discussion task
• Teacher notes
• Suggested answers
• Lined response page

Curriculum alignment

This resource is particularly useful for:

• IB DP History Paper 1: Sources and Perspectives
• 2028 Focused study 4: Conflict and displacement
• Indochina refugee crisis, 1975–1990
• Senior modern history units on the Vietnam War, Cambodia, genocide, refugees and displacement
• Australian Curriculum Year 10 History units on migration experiences, the Vietnam War and Indochinese refugees

This Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Victory, Persecution and Economic Collapse Student Worksheet saves teachers’ preparation time while giving students a clear, structured way to understand a difficult topic and practise meaningful Paper 1 skills.

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