Cambodian Genocide
Throughout the Cold War, Cambodia was a hotspot of internal rivalry, chaos, and tragedy. Genocide almost always coincides with war, this is seen in many cases, including the Cambodian genocide. Although Cambodia’s intentions were to remain neutral throughout the Vietnam War, the country struggled to find a peaceful balance between the ideologies of capitalism and communism. Due to this internal struggle, more than 21 percent of Cambodian’s population was ruthlessly maltreated and murdered by the Khmer Rouge.
Pol Pot’s four-year plan, announced on April 21, 1976, was to create a state where socialism controlled every aspect of the country including; agriculture, industry, health, and education. Pol Pot’s philosophy was the same as many communist leaders. He desired to see a society where there was no bourgeoisie and no classes. Similar to many communist leaders, Pol Pot wished to see the country cultivated by and for the peasants, not the urban population. Pol Pot desired to see a world where there was
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The citizens who lived in Pheon Phen had grown up with the niceties such as running water, and indoor plumbing. However, the citizens who has grown up in the farms and villages of Cambodia did not have these luxuries. Although the rebels were given orders not to loot or kill without proper cause, the members of the Khmer Rouge were greatly tempted. However, they were not tempted by monetary possessions, but with vehicles and motor-bikes. The Khmer Rouge however, lacked knowledge on how to operate these machines so they repetitively crashed the cars into trees. After they crashed the car, they would steal the tires off of them to make shoes. This illustrates the cultural differences between the urban and rural citizens of Cambodia. The rural citizens are much simpler and are much more interested in necessities, compared to the urban