How Did Pol Pot Revolutionize Cambodia
April 1975, saw the Khmer Rouge seize Phnom Penh and with it the basic human rights and dignity of it's people; who were marched out of the city and forced into slave labour camps under the guise of equality. Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, was educated in Paris where he became familiar with Marxist Ideology. He wanted to revolutionise Cambodia by turning it into a giant agricultural food bowl, farmed by its people. This change was marked by renaming Cambodia Kampuchea and in recognition of the new regime and the start of a new life in a new country, it was declared "Year Zero."
Pol Pot went much further than his initial Marxist ideologies and adopted that of Chairman Mao, head of communist China. He set about purging Cambodia of its intellectuals,
even those with a persona of intelligence - wearing glasses for instance, was a death sentence. Anyone that spoke up or offered what was perceived as resistance was dealt with extremely harshly, usually by execution and this was quite often performed in view of others in the communes.
The hardship endured by the people at this time was unimaginable, all Cambodians including the sick, elderly and infirm were all required to play their role in this new life. The people worked the land for long hours with very little sustenance, a bowl of watery rice and a ladle of water was all that was on offer. A vast number of people died of starvation, dysentery and many other diseases.
In 1979, Vietnam liberated Cambodia, sending Pol Pot into exile. It is unknown the true total of people slaughtered during Pol Pot's reign, however it is believed to be around 1.7 million.
Pol Pot went much further than his initial Marxist ideologies and adopted that of Chairman Mao, head of communist China. He set about purging Cambodia of its intellectuals,
even those with a persona of intelligence - wearing glasses for instance, was a death sentence. Anyone that spoke up or offered what was perceived as resistance was dealt with extremely harshly, usually by execution and this was quite often performed in view of others in the communes.
The hardship endured by the people at this time was unimaginable, all Cambodians including the sick, elderly and infirm were all required to play their role in this new life. The people worked the land for long hours with very little sustenance, a bowl of watery rice and a ladle of water was all that was on offer. A vast number of people died of starvation, dysentery and many other diseases.
In 1979, Vietnam liberated Cambodia, sending Pol Pot into exile. It is unknown the true total of people slaughtered during Pol Pot's reign, however it is believed to be around 1.7 million.