Pol Pot's Cambodi New Cambodia, Year Zero Project
Essential Question: How did Pol Pot’s envisioned “New” Cambodia, “Year Zero Project” transform Cambodia then and what effects does it leave in Cambodia today?
What is the background/history of the genocidal conflict?
The Cambodian genocide was the leader of Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot’s idea to restore the country agriculturally by deconstructing cambodia back to a primitive “Year Zero”. The idea of Year Zero arose in the 1950s after the French decolonization and devastated the region until the late 1980s and continues to affect Cambodia largely today. After 100 years of colonization, Cambodia formed a new government and its powers were given to Cambodia’s Prince, Prince Sihanouk. Later, in the early 1900s, Lon Nol was made president of the new Khmer …show more content…
Khmer Rouge rose to power on April 17th, 1975 when soldiers marched into the capital of Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was a brutal, murderous revolutionary group intent on revolutionizing Cambodia.
Most of the soldiers who invaded Phnom Penh were young uneducated teenage boys who had never been in the city before. Although it was small at first, many new young soldiers were being recruited everyday and it was easy for Cambodians to be manipulated since many Cambodians had become disenchanted with western democracy due to the huge loss of Cambodian lives during the Vietnam War. By the end of 1975, Pol Pot’s force had grown to over 700,000 …show more content…
Parents were separated from their children and were forced to work at different locations. All of the workers were to live together upon constant food shortage at the camps. Half of the deaths during the genocide was from the executions. Journalists, lawyers, doctors, professionals, and intellectuals were seen as a threat to the Year Zero plan and were murdered along with their families. Even a speck of emotion was forbidden and many were killed for smiling or crying. Also among those who were executed were those who were in minority religious and ethnic groups. The poor living conditions at the camps including labor, starvation, physical injuries, and diseases were responsible for the other half of the
What is the background/history of the genocidal conflict?
The Cambodian genocide was the leader of Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot’s idea to restore the country agriculturally by deconstructing cambodia back to a primitive “Year Zero”. The idea of Year Zero arose in the 1950s after the French decolonization and devastated the region until the late 1980s and continues to affect Cambodia largely today. After 100 years of colonization, Cambodia formed a new government and its powers were given to Cambodia’s Prince, Prince Sihanouk. Later, in the early 1900s, Lon Nol was made president of the new Khmer …show more content…
Khmer Rouge rose to power on April 17th, 1975 when soldiers marched into the capital of Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was a brutal, murderous revolutionary group intent on revolutionizing Cambodia.
Most of the soldiers who invaded Phnom Penh were young uneducated teenage boys who had never been in the city before. Although it was small at first, many new young soldiers were being recruited everyday and it was easy for Cambodians to be manipulated since many Cambodians had become disenchanted with western democracy due to the huge loss of Cambodian lives during the Vietnam War. By the end of 1975, Pol Pot’s force had grown to over 700,000 …show more content…
Parents were separated from their children and were forced to work at different locations. All of the workers were to live together upon constant food shortage at the camps. Half of the deaths during the genocide was from the executions. Journalists, lawyers, doctors, professionals, and intellectuals were seen as a threat to the Year Zero plan and were murdered along with their families. Even a speck of emotion was forbidden and many were killed for smiling or crying. Also among those who were executed were those who were in minority religious and ethnic groups. The poor living conditions at the camps including labor, starvation, physical injuries, and diseases were responsible for the other half of the