Pol Pot died on 15 April 1998 in Anlong Veng District, aged 72. A Cambodian political leader, Pol Pot was born Saloth Sar and became head of the Khmer Rouge, a communist movement that fought a civil war and took power in Phnom Penh in 1975. As leader of Democratic Kampuchea, he oversaw the forced evacuation of the cities, the abolition of money, schools and religion, and an attempt to create an agrarian society. Mass executions, forced labour, starvation and disease caused the deaths of an estimated one and a half to two million people, about a quarter of the population, in what is regarded as a genocide. Vietnam invaded in 1979 and drove the regime from power. He continued to lead guerrillas from the jungle and died in 1998 without standing trial.
Before and after
- from 27 February 1998 to 11 June 1999Kosovo War
- 29 March 1998Construction of Vasco da Gama Bridge
- 5 April 1998Construction of Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
- 10 April 1998Good Friday Agreement
- 15 April 1998Death of Pol Pot
- from 6 May 1998 to 25 May 2000Eritrean–Ethiopian War
- 14 May 1998Death of Frank Sinatra
- from 20 May 1998 to 26 May 19981998 War in Abkhazia
- 1 June 1998Founding of European Central Bank
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
- from 16 May 1966 to 6 October 1976Cultural Revolution
- from 2 August 1990 to 28 February 1991Gulf War
- 20 February 2014Russo-Ukrainian war
- 31 January 2020Brexit
- 7 October 2023Gaza War
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.