Pol Pot Genocide In Cambodia

Genocide: The deliberate killing of a large group of people , especially those of a particular ethnic group. The actions of the Khmer Rouge constitutes as a Genocide that killed millions of the cambodian population. This Genocide was brought on by Pol Pot, he had a theory of “reprogramming” a nation in order to create his idea of a perfect utopia. The result of this Genocide created a devastating drop in 25% of Cambodia's population. That means that every 1 in 4 person was brutally murdered, just because one man wanted his idea of a perfected society.

The Khmer Rouge was the cause of the Cambodian Genocide. They were a group of young peasant boys who were often uneducated and had never seen a city before. The Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom

By 1975, Pol Pot’s force had grown to over 700,000 men. Within days of the Khmer Rouge takeover of Phnom Penh, Pol began to pursue his communist ways and re-civilize Cambodia. The new government quickly took all control of Cambodia's property including: schools, universities, hospitals, and Factories.But, not only did Pol Pot take control of physical things, he tried to control religion, personalized clothing, and certain emotions. Pol Pot was an admirer of the Chinese communism as well as Stalinism. Pol Pot got all of his ideas of a perfected society from those communist countries. The aim of the Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge was to take Cambodia all the way to “Year Zero” so they could rebuild from the bottom up. All of the citizens would have to help rebuild this country, willingly or not. Their plan was to reconstruct all of cambodia as fast as they possibly could. So, they acted immediately. Cambodians nationwide were forced to evacuate their homes and their villages. Anyone who did not cooperate were to be terminated. All of the old, young, ill and disabled who could not make the harsh journey to the camps were killed on sight. Much like the

It also included Factories, schools, universities, hospitals, and all other private institutions were shut down; all their former owners and employees were murdered along with their extended families. It was common for people to be shot just for speaking a foreign language or wearing glasses as these were traits that were associated with the West. Many were also shot for smiling or crying as it was forbidden to show any kind of emotion at all ..Most of the nation’s Khmer Rouge survivors suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, but through the 1990s, no one in Cambodia recognized this or was offered any treatment. No one paid any attention at all, allowing the illness to fester and, in some cases, worsen. For someone suffering from PTSD, almost anything out of the ordinary could set off a heart-wrenching panic. For older people with heart trouble, these panics could trigger a heart attack. In the early 1990s, mass graves were uncovered throughout Cambodia. Each held dozens, or hundreds, of skeletal remains from Khmer Rouge execution grounds. Most often villagers piled the remains in barns or outbuildings the Khmer Rouge had once used. Even now, decades later, villagers say the skulls speak to them. With nearly 5 million of the Cambodian people dead, this genocide was brought on