12. Cambodia (1975-1979)
Under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979, Cambodia experienced the systematic eradication of state structures, leading to the deaths of an estimated 1.7 to 2.2 million people (reuters.com). The regime’s radical agrarian policies and ideological zeal resulted in mass executions, forced labor, and starvation. This tragic period mirrors other ideological revolutions that devolved into catastrophic outcomes, such as the Cultural Revolution in China.
