“The Cambodian Genocide refers to the attempt of Khmer Rouge party leader “Pol Pot” to nationalize and centralize the peasant farming society of Cambodia virtually overnight, in accordance with the Chinese Communist agricultural model.” When Sihanouk becomes the head of state, he breaks ties with the US and allows North Vietnamese guerrillas to set up based in Cambodia. In return, the US begins to plot secret bombings against the North Vietnamese on Cambodia soil. In 1970, Sihanouk is overthrown in a coup by the Prime Minister Lon Nol. He proclaims Cambodia, the Khmer Republic, and sends an army to fight the North Vietnamese. Lon Nol is overthrown as the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot occupies Phnom Penh. The country is re-named Kampuchea. The …show more content…
In 1977, Pol Pot begins a second series of purges to eliminate all communist dissidents and moderates. This time around, the executions were more widespread and affect all of Cambodia’s population not just certain groups. In 1979, North Vietnam takes over Phnom Penh forcing Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge to flee to Thailand and the People’s Republic of Kampuchea is established. Hundreds of thousands educated middle class are tortured and executed in special centers; others were starved or died from disease or exhaustion. Total death over the four years were at least 1.7 million approximately 21% of the …show more content…
The Khmer Rouge was a communist party of Kampuchea. Pol Pot ordered the killing since he was the leader of the Khmer Rouge. Duch, ran the most notorious prison, S-21, while he did not commit the killing he order behind the desk who was to be killed. The Khmer Rouge army was made up of uneducated peasants from provinces, which had never been in a city before. The Khmer Rouge ordered the persecution of intellects, religious figures, and ethnic minorities are the victims of the genocide. Anyone who would oppose the regime was order to be persecuted such as doctors, intellects, teachers, former military, police force, lawyers etc. As well, as anyone who could not make the trip to the collective farms such as the ill, elderly, and young were killed on the spot. In addition, citizens who were Christians, Buddhists, and Cambodia Muslims were ordered to persecute and killed for their beliefs. Another group was the persecution of Cambodian Vietnamese origin and anyone else that was not of Cambodia origin. Vietnamese and Chinese were the ethnic minorities that were ordered to