Vietnam launched an invasion of Cambodia in late December 1978 to remove Pol Pot. Two million Cambodians had died at the hands of his Khmer Rouge regime and Pol Pot’s troops had conducted bloody cross-border raids into Vietnam, Cambodia’s historic enemy, massacring civilians and torching villages.
Why did Vietnam fight Cambodia?
Holding Vietnam back was fear of a military reaction by China, the primary geopolitical ally of the Khmer Rouge. “They were afraid that if Vietnam moved into Cambodia, then the Chinese would move into Vietnam, and then you would have a two front war,” said Schaefer, referring to East German diplomatic cables.
Is Vietnam still communist?
Government of Vietnam
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a one-party state. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, replacing the 1975 version. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all organs of government, politics and society.
What were the impacts of the Vietnam War?
The Vietnam War severely damaged the U.S. economy. Unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the war, President Johnson unleashed a cycle of inflation. The war also weakened U.S. military morale and undermined, for a time, the U.S. commitment to internationalism.
Why did US leave Cambodia?
The U.S. was motivated by the desire to buy time for its withdrawal from Southeast Asia, to protect its ally in South Vietnam, and to prevent the spread of communism to Cambodia. … The Cambodian government estimated that more than 20 percent of the property in the country had been destroyed during the war.
What if Vietnam never invaded Cambodia?
If Vietnam had not invaded Cambodia in December 1978 to overthrow the Khmer Rouge then Cambodia would have descended into a vicious civil war between the various Khmer Rouge factions, which were already in a state of war with each other at the time of the Vietnamese invasion.