Final answer:
Before the Khmer Rouge's takeover in 1975, the Ung family in Phnom Penh may have enjoyed a level of normalcy with access to education, work, and social experiences. However, the rise of the regime dramatically changed their lifestyle as they were forced into rural work camps as part of Pol Pot's radical social experiment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before the rise of the Khmer Rouge regime, the Ung family, like many others in Phnom Penh, experienced a significantly different lifestyle compared to the one they were forced into post-1975. Pol Pot's Communist forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975, resulting in the evacuation of cities and towns, and the forced relocation of the populace to the countryside.
The family's life was upended as the Khmer Rouge aimed to establish a communist utopia, which led to the appropriation of private property and mass movement from urban centers like Phnom Penh to labor in collective farms and work camps. Prior to these events, life in Phnom Penh could have included access to education, professional employment, and cultural activities, but such longer-term aspirations became untenable under the Khmer Rouge.