Crimes In The Khmer Rouge

Until 1975, the Khmer Rouge were popular. Originally, they had promised to raise the living standards of the poor, thus assuring the support of the people. When they took over they collectivized everything: cattle, buffalo, plates, everything (Kiernan 185). Pol Pot wished to set up an agrarian utopia inspired by Mao Zedong. Like Mao Zedong, Pol Pot implemented a policy similar to the Great Leap Forward declaring "Year Zero" in an attempt to purify society of all Western influences including "capitalism, Western culture, city life, religion, and all foreign influences" and transform Cambodia into a peasant - Communistic state (Cook). "The CPK [Communist Party of Kampuchea] attempted to distract people's attention from their situation by informing the peasants that life in Cambodia was superior to that in Vietnam, where people were reduced to eating chaff, while Chairman Mao's socialism was bringing progress in China" ensuring that Cambodia would soon follow (Kiernan 185). Pol Pot insisted that Cambodia would not be independent until the economy and society grew collectively. "To achieve our independence, domestic peace, and unity, we must mobilize the people's forces to build an egalitarian society without rich or poor...if the economy grows, society grows too..." (Ponchaud 74). During Pol Pot's stay in power, Marxist books became widespread, including the Communist Manifesto. Libraries had reopened and shared these communist books with lycées (Ponchaud

The Cambodian Genocide happened between 1975 and 1979 in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge, a guerrilla group, over threw the government and started a regime to bring Cambodia back to year zero . The Khmer Rouge called this the Democratic Republic of Kampuchea . Their aim was to purify society from the influence of the west, and to create a communist country . The Khmer Rouge started this by destroying what was left of the old society and executing the wealthy, educated and military people. They banned all outside languages and religion. An estimated figure of 1.7 million Cambodians where killed during this period by the Khmer Rouge .

“Please! Please, I beg you, not my son! He is my only son! Take me instead. Me!” They begged, they screamed, and at last, they were shot dead, and their bodies were left to serve as manure for the mango trees. A kid asked the whereabouts of her long gone sister to the Khmer Rouge, who then cackled that she is working in the field as a fertilizer. It was such a bad way to be announced death with, and that disturbing sentence left me staring at the book. Trying to unburden myself from the pestering phrase, I went on with the reading which then arrived at the part where Khmer Rouge unexpectedly spilling the blood of the men they killed over Arn and the Khmers making Arn move the dead people. Arn drenched in the red sticky blood was vividly projected

The 20th Century was an era marked by growing turmoil in the world stage. As countries fought for hegemony, it was often groups of people who were most affected by the political turbulence of the times. Throughout this era, many of these oppressive states existed, yet none quite like Nazi Germany and Khmer Rouge Cambodia. Told by the young voices of Elie Wiesel in Night and Chanthity Him in When Broken Glass Floats, each author tells their story of what it meant to grow up as a victim of these regimes. And through the analysis of their experiences are we able to observe the similar tactics two radical government groups imposed and how these tactics-both similar and different- advanced the politics of the aggressors.

His intentions may have been admirable or respectable in wanting to create an equal agrarian society, but the ways that he carried out these plans are considered to be some of the worst human rights violations of the twentieth century. In order to create an agrarian society, Pol Pot forced all people in the city Phnom Penh, into the countryside and out of their homes, in what is known as Year Zero (“Khmer Rouge”). All non-agricultural workers were forced to leave their jobs and homes, and work in the countryside, to accomplish the goal of a country comprised of only workers. But, the majority of the population was not simply forced to leave their homes, and change their jobs. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced into slave labor camps and concentration camps, where they eventually died from starvation, exhaustion and disease. Eventually, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge turned to straight executions of first his former allies, and then of anyone who portrayed the former Cambodian society. It became a complete purge of anyone, citizen, enemy or even ally of Pol Pot, that did not show the new ideals of the Khmer Rouge. In the end, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge had executed hundreds of thousands, but had caused the death of over one million of his own people through labor camps, starvation, exhaustion and disease. Lastly, Pol Pot executed political, social, and ideological experiments on his

The Khmer Rouge forces took over Cambodia, and evacuated the nation's cities. They emptied schools, hospitals, factories and abolished all forms of money and wages. Religion, popular culture, and all forms of self expression were forbidden. They were forced into the countryside to do forced labor, and got less than 90 grams of rice a day. Where most people died from fatigue, disease, execution, and starvation. Now people of Cambodia are exchanging this terrible genocide for healing. Trying to find peace and a resolution for all those who have lost loved ones, or encountered this terrible genocide

Cambodia is a small country of Southeast Asia, less than half the size of the state of California (“World Without Genocide: Cambodian Genocide”). The Cambodian government in the mid 1970’s was unstable as Lon Nol, the Cambodian prime minister, and his forces were being stretched dealing with conflicts of Vietnamese communists, and a rising group of Cambodian communists called the Khmer Rouge Party. (Peace Pledge Union) As the government grew weaker and began to loose control, The Khmer Rouge Party overthrew the country. They began killing for their cause in 1975. The Khmer Rouge Party, under the rule of a man called Pol Pot, enforced a new way of life following values and rules similar to Maoist-Communism (“World Without Genocide: Cambodian Genocide”). The Khmer Party attempted, in simplistic terms, to nationally centralize the middle or farming class of Cambodia (“World Without Genocide: Cambodian

Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, claimed that this would help return them to their basic times creating a utopia, even though he went in the other direction. Khmer Rouge was the group of cambodian communist that took control. Him and his followers, killed 25 percent of their population by murdering, overworking and starving them to death. They mainly targeted doctors, teachers, monks, journalists, the rich, artists, and/or anyone with an education. They also targeted various religious and ethnic groups during the genocide like, religious enthusiasts, Buddhists,

The Khmer Rouge was a ruthless party led by Pol Pot that killed many Cambodians in a gruesome fashion known as the Cambodian Genocide, using methods such as torture and starvation, which led to execution. History To many Americans the Cambodian Genocide was the most unknown genocide that took place.

In Cambodia in the 1960s The Khmer Rouge Regime rose to power, which lead to the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. Pol Pot, the leader of this group, believed in a new country without evils. He describes evils such as money and religion as the cause for the corrupt and terrible world he lives in. Pol Pot's goal was to bring Cambodia back to the middle ages. Pol Pot dreamed of a ‘perfect’ Cambodia in which the society “build a prosperous and happy Cambodian society in which all enjoy equality, happiness and a society free from all class or individual forms of exploitation, in which everyone strives to increase production and to defend the country (pg 415)”. He began enforcing communal farming as a new way of living. Pol pot states “When we have rice, we can have everything” is their ‘slogan’ (Journal of Contemporary Asia pg 414). Pol Pot along with the rest of the Khmer Rouge Regime believed strongly in the perks that come out of farming. They

I am going to be writing about the Cambodian Genocide. The Khmer Rouge took control of the Cambodian government in 1975. The Khmer Rouge was a name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea in Cambodia. Their goal was too taken entire control of Cambodia. They succeeded for four years straight. Between 1.7 and 2 million Cambodian people were lost during the 4 year rapant of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodia was taken over April 17, 1975. This resulted in the gradual devastation of over 25% of the country’s population in just four short years.

The Khmer Rouge carried out one of the most horrific genocides in the twentieth century. The nation of Cambodia was in a near-decade civil war between the Communist (Khmer Rouge) and the monarchy and then the Khmer Republic. The Khmer Rouge won the civil war and controlled all of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. During this time, they committed horrific crimes against their own people. This genocidal regime was one of the worst events in the later years of the 1900s, and it is not well talked about in schools. The Khmer Rouge movement started back in the 1940s when Cambodia was fighting for freedom from the French government. Over the years, the Northern Vietnamese influenced much of the group's practices and beliefs. They gained so much members during the Lon Nol era because many Cambodian people lost family from the American bombings (whom Lon Nol was allied with). Through fear and threats, the Khmer Rouge scared the people into moving into the countryside. They abolished all things that have to do with capitalism. They brainwashed people into starving the population, torturing the “accused”, and murdering any who oppose the Khmer Rouge way of life and leadership. This led to widespread poverty of Cambodia, and the people learned to love and respect everyone because of the hate shown to them during this horrific event. Many, til this day, still do not share their stories of what happened during this time because they are scared to be reminded of what was committed against them. That is why the country is still corrupt today because the two-decade old prime minister Hun Sen was an ex-Khmer Rouge Soldier.

The Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge, took control of Cambodia on April 17, 1975, which lasted until January 1979. For their three-year, eight-month, and twenty-one day rule of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge committed some of the most heinous crimes in current history. The main leader who orchestrated these crimes was a man named Pol Pot. In 1962, Pol Pot had become the coordinator of the Cambodian Communist Party. The Prince of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, did not approve of the Party and forced Pol Pot to flee to exile in the jungle. There, Pol formed a fortified resistance movement, which became known as the Khmer Rouge, and pursued a guerrilla war against Sihanouk’s government. As Pol Pot began to accumulate power,

In 1976, after massacring hundreds of thousands of former government officials and supporters of the previous government, the Khmer Rouge began purging their own ranks. They utilized brutal tactics such as, “’the victory pole’ where four people would be tied together, their backs to the pole, facing opposite directions. Then a guard would shoot one in the head covering the others in blood and brains.” (Dunlop 87). They converted city schools into prisons and arrested people for any slight charge perceived against the revolution. Distrust with each other became so rampant among members inside the party that “vanquishing the enemies” became the most important task of the Khmer Rouge Regime. Food shortages occurred, electricity became scarce, and disease became a major problem for the population. Even the most useful resource for the Khmer Rouge executioners became scarce; they sometimes ran out of bullets after a heavy night of prison executions.

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