The struggles of Democratic Kampuchea were shaped by the necessity of defending national independence while forging a path of self-reliant development. As highlighted in the 1981 theses, the state sought to resist imperialist encirclement by maintaining non-aligned foreign relations, forging solidarity with Third World nations, and rejecting economic dependency. The principles of self-sufficiency were not merely ideological but a material necessity, as reliance on global trade had historically entrenched underdevelopment. The leaders of Democratic Kampuchea emphasized the need to centralize foreign trade and direct resources toward rural collectivization, industrialization, and national defense. Their policies reflected a broader strategy of economic autonomy, ensuring that the nation’s production served the people rather than foreign interests. However, external pressures and internal contradictions presented significant challenges, particularly as the Vietnamese invasion of late 1978 sought to overturn the revolution.