Analysis : Khmer Rouge

The Cambodian Genocide took place from 1975 to 1979 in the Southeastern Asian country of Cambodia. The genocide was a brutal massacre that killed 1.4 to 2.2 million people, about 21% of Cambodia’s population. This essay, will discuss the history of the Cambodian genocide, specifically, what happened, the victims and the perpetrators and the world’s response to the genocide.

During times of trouble it is the structure of families which bring stability and fuel resilience. Families often support each other to survive a trauma because they are support systems. The Cambodian genocide led by the Khmer Rouge regime attempted to tear apart families and exploit their special bond. The Khmer Rouge soldiers took towns captive or burned them, and recruited youths to join their cause (Pran IX). From 1975 to 1979, all Cambodians were forced to live in labor camps and were forced to work fourteen to eighteen hours a day with only a single bowl of rice to eat. Family members were separated from one another purposefully to lower morale. During this period an estimated one-third of Cambodian’s population died due to malnutrition, illness, and execution (Pran X). Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors compiled by Dith Pran is important because it confirms the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, explains how the Khmer Rouge gained power, and how the Khmer Rouge attempted to indoctrinate young children against their parents.

This paper investigates and distinguishes, through my opinion, the impacts that Khmer Rouge’s also known as the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) had on a global scale. First, by addressing the impacts to the immediate country, Cambodia and the tactics used by this abhorrent organization. Furthermore, the ideologies used by said organization, to instill fear and distrust in the population; which lead to there early demise, but not after 1.7 million people lost or sacrificed there lives for their country, per se. The lesson to be learned from this is, no matter who you are or what power you have, eventually you will have to answer to the international community if you commit such egregious acts of violence.

From the dawn of time to even now, genocides have been happening throughout history. Some earlier genocides have not even been recorded or documented. Genocides happen because one group wants complete control and absolute power of another. People can be killed for having different ideals or being different. Knowing this, one could see that genocides only end with senseless and brutal discrimination and death. From 1975 to 1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge carried out a genocide in Cambodia killing all people who seemed to oppose them and their communist government (“The Cambodian Genocide”).

A genocide is the systematic extermination of an entire social, racial, or political group or nation, specifically those of a particular ethnicity. While the genocide in Cambodia is not as widely recognized as that of Rwanda or the Holocaust, millions of Cambodian citizens were murdered between the years of 1975 and 1979 under the control of the Khmer Rouge. The government depopulated cities and forcibly relocated citizens to collective farms known as Killing Fields because of the unspeakable amount of deaths of all ages that occurred there. Approximately 14,000 lives were taken in these fields due to the stringent rules placed upon the citizens. The Khmer Rouge advocated for social equality and transformed Cambodia into a pre-industrialized nation centered around agriculture. The loss of millions of lives led to significant demographic changes, ranging from an increase in the amount of elderly, homeless citizens, and to a decrease in ethnic diversity across the nation. The dictatorship simultaneously lessened the culture and identity of coming generations due to the execution of artists and musicians who brought forth important aspects of tradition. The destruction of infrastructure also contributed to the limitations of postwar Cambodia. In summary, The Khmer Rouge carried out a genocide that strongly influenced the demographics, culture, and infrastructure of Cambodian society.

From the dawn of time up to current day, genocides have been happening throughout history. Some earlier genocides have not even been recorded or documented. Most genocides also share similar reasons for occurring. Genocides happen because one group wants complete control and absolute power over another. For instance, people can be killed for having different ideas or not being similar to to the opposing group. It is clear that genocides only end with senseless and brutal discrimination which results in many deaths. From 1975 to 1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge carried out a genocide in Cambodia killing all people who seemed to oppose them and their communist government (“The Cambodian Genocide”).

Cambodia experienced mass death, approximately 1.7 million lives, during the Cambodian genocide of 1975 through 1979. The Khmer Rouge regime dominated the Cambodian government and attempted to purge the population of intellectuals, professionals and supporters of the original government. In an attempt to better the country’s economic standing at a horrendously rapid rate, the country instead experienced mass destruction. The purpose of this paper is to explore the various ways devastation was brought upon Cambodia and how it affected the populace. In the 1950’s the country was engulfed by the civil war north and south Vietnam was waging after gaining independence from France. The battlefield of the war overflowed into Cambodia and caused physical

The act of genocide is an extremity that accompanies the ever modernizing world, a reality that is increasingly discovered as the twentieth century inched toward the twenty-first. Cambodia, a country located in southeast Asia, is unlucky enough to have fallen under the terror of their own personalized war on humanity. A purpose whose plans took root in the quest for an egalitarian system, and thus purposefully began attacking its own economy. All the while destroying any constructs the Pol Pot regime felt may lead to a type of variety among the people, for there is safety in homogeneity. And so this culture suffered through extermination, whether that be in religion, music, or even in common family and friend relationships. Cambodia has been stripped of its individuality through each and every citizen for the sake of uniformity. When such a conflict as this, has finally come to an end it is undeniable that the process of rebuilding must commence. That reconstruction aimed toward all that has been destroyed: the economy, all types of infrastructure, a sense of community among the people. It is the responsibility of the country, as well as the developed outside world, to distribute aid toward this process. Far too often foreigners invade with their own objectives disguised as good will. Post-genocide Cambodia has for years received aid that was either, unable to meet it’s needs or not established long enough to make a significant or lasting difference. What is necessary is a

Defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the term genocide is “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group” [1]. The tragic events that occurred in the nation of Cambodia in 1975 is an example of genocide due to the mass killings that took place. Khmer Rouge, an authoritative organization, was the main source towards the genocide that occurred due to their opinions on mass production, which led to the deaths of thousands of Cambodian citizens. The passion between Khmer Rouges ideas behind mass production was very resilient which led to controlled actions and intentions causing the genocide to take place. Scared Sacred by Velcrow Ripper stated that the Khmer Rouge group directed the younger generations to partake in the involvement of mass killings. Furthermore, Ripper also said that any refusal of these killings would lead to an immediate execution [2]. These acts by the Khemer Rouge are exemplified in Extraordinary Evil written by Barbara Coloroso, as she said that the “bully chooses the target because of the targets real or perceived race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or ethnicity, and which, when legitimized, institutionalized, and politicized, can progress to Genocide”[3]. This statement by Coloroso is related to the Khmer Rouge because as stated previously, the Khmere Rouge

On April 17, 1975, in the small state of Southeast Asia Cambodia, a powerful leader known as Pol Pot began a murderous regime under a Communist Party of Kampuchea. According to Key facts on the Khmer Rouge, “the party's aim was to establish a classless communist state based on a rural agrarian economy and a complete rejection of the free market and capitalism” (“Key facts on the Khmer Rouge”). Commonly identified as Khmer Rouge, the holocaust lasted nearly four years and took the lives of millions leaving only a few survivors. Survivors, such as, Sisowath Doung Chanto, Samnang Shawn Vann, and Sophal Leng Stagg Sisowath Doung Chanto begins his story by recounting the experience as “uncomprehending,” and focused on describing the final days and death of his father, Sisowath Doung Kara.

Ever since the actions in Cambodia occurred, it has been debated whether it was an actual genocide. The general definition of genocide is the purposeful and methodical execution of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia demonstrated that a government can be guilty of genocide against its own nation. The radical communist party led by Pol Pot took over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. After 1979, the Khmer Rouge left a traumatized Cambodian culture that continues to undergo the repercussions of the genocide. People over the age of forty in Cambodia have stories to tell of fear, cruelty, hunger and the loss of family members. However, the Cambodian government is not making an effort to recognize the negative occurrences that have posed itself in the history of their culture.

All the citizen were required to be equal, no one were higher than others except their members and senior leaders whom had more power on controlling others. They also stopped the country from being export and import from other countries and set up politics that disregarded human’s life. Money became worthless, homes and families were destroyed, everyone were forced from Phnom Penh to country sides, thousands of people died during that evacuation.

There are many genocides that people are not aware of. One of them is the attempted genocide carried out by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was able to gain power and remain in control of Cambodia for years without interference because they isolated the country from any foreign influence. Other countries had no idea what was happening inside Cambodia until years later. The Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, wanted to create their own ideal communist society. So how did The Khmer Rouge gain so much power and control? Some argue that Pol Pot was the only one responsible for the power and control gained by the Khmer Rouge. On the other hand, others say that the notion of social hierarchy was

Think about the soldiers that serve your country. They all go through tough challenges. Whether it’s an easy to go through challenge, or a challenge that is almost impossible to go through. Now, think of those grown up soldiers as children. By children, meaning younger than 18. In the past, there were groups of bad soldiers that recruited young children that are eighteen and younger. These children, who just wanted to live at least a semi normal life, were now killing to keep their own lives. They have to kill, even if they don’t want to. Whether it’s an innocent person, a bad person, or it might be their family that they have to kill. The group named The Khmer Rouge killed anyone who was in their way. Although some may argue otherwise, that

Saloth Sar aka Pol Pot (19th May, 1925- 15th April, 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge. He was the 8th of 9 children born into a moderately wealthy rice farming family. He grew up in Prek Sbauv, a small fishing village, where his family owned 50 acres of land or roughly 10 times the national average as well as several buffalos. Pol Pot was educated at several different schools in both Cambodia and France. In Cambodia, he attended a Buddhist monastery, Cloe Miche, a catholic school in Phnom Penh and briefly Lycée Sisowath, an exclusive school for academics. He then moved to Paris after gaining a scholarship and he studied radio technology. Upon Pol Pot’s return to Cambodia, the region was rebelling against the French colonial rule in order to gain independence, which they achieved a year later. Meanwhile, Pol Pot joined the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party (KPRP), an underground Marxist- Leninist party. Between 1956 and 1963 Pol Pot became a taught history, geography and French literature whilst also plotting a revolution simultaneously.