Who Is Pol Pot?
Pol Pot, the leader of the communist party known as the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. He aimed to convert Cambodia into his vision of a communist agrarian society. However, in doing so he administered the deaths of more than two million Cambodians and under his rule Cambodians suffered harsh realities. Towards the end of his four years in power he left the country in turmoil as the economy was destroyed and the country regressed to an impoverished state as Pol Pot hindered any progress or advancements. Pol Pot may be characterised as a brutal dictator who exercised absolute control over Cambodia through his employment of terror tactics and the regulation of private lives, in addition to his control of mass media.
Terror tactics …show more content…
were critical to Pol Pot’s regime as it ensured the compliance of the Cambodians towards his rule.
The Khmer Rouge captured the city of Phnom Penh in 1976 and in doing so they overthrew the previous Cambodian government and gained complete control over the country. Once they came into power they executed their new reforms to transform Cambodia to an agrarian society inclusive of relocating Cambodians from the city to the countryside to do farm work. Anyone who objected to Pol Pot’s authority and new rules faced harsh repercussions such as torture, execution and the killing of their families by the Khmer Rouge troops. Norodom Sihanouk, the former king of Cambodia prior to the Khmer Rouge regime taking place, states the ramifications he dealt with for refuting Pol Pot’s orders. Sihanouk asserts: “My refusal to serve Pol Pot’s Kampuchea from April 1976 carried with it some responsibility for the elimination of my relatives.” His account is useful in understanding the aggressive elements of the Khmer Rouge and the emphasis on policing and punishing all who stand against Pol Pot. Furthermore, it can be seen that Pol Pot punished Cambodian royalty to exert his dominance and demonstrate to the Cambodians that regardless of stature and influence everyone will face severe consequences for the refusal of his authority. Respected writer …show more content…
and news reporter David Andelman in his article for the widely read New York Times, written during Pol Pot’s rule describes that the Cambodians where scared into submission, with him asserting: “but the new system is said to function largely through fear.” Andelman goes on to explain that there was an increase in the armed forces so that through enforcing militaristic aggression towards Cambodians Pol Pot would not have to deal with wrongdoers threatening his power. Despite Andelman’s article being contemporary to Pol Pot’s rule he was not actually present in Cambodia or experienced the Khmer Rouge regime, however, his account can be strengthened through corroboration with a primary source account of a Khmer Rouge regime survivor. Someth May, during his family’s journey to their new village witnessed two piles of dead bodies and two pieces of hardboard on the bodies read, “For refusing to leaves as they were told”. May’s account provides a clear indication of the use of terror to scare other Cambodians into subordination by the Khmer Rouge. Not only did Pol Pot exercise a brutal and oppressive rule through terror tactics but he also administered the regulation of the private lives of Cambodians.
Following Pol Pot’s rise to power he banned money, religion, various technologies and schools, with his aim being to strip Cambodians of individuality and make them meek unchallenging subjects who simply farmed the land. During his rule he set out strict regulations for Cambodians to follow and severely restricted their freedom, in addition to constant surveillance. Well regarded author and professor of History at Yale University Ben Kiernan, in his well-researched book, The Pol Pot Regime suggests that the Khmer Rouge greatly controlled the Cambodians lives. He asserts, “people labor and eat en masse, wear the same clothes and hairstyles, and spend nearly all leisure hours in the same supervised ways, reduced the interest in and the opportunities for privacy and personal communications”. It can be gathered from Kiernan’s account that Pol Pot regulated the lives of Cambodians with rigid measures of rules to follow so that he had a firm control over the people and therefore chances of an uprising against him would be minimal. Further evidence of Pol Pot dictating the personal lives of Cambodians can be seen from a primary source account of a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. Chanrithy Him and her family lived under the Khmer Rouge regime and in her biography, When Broken Glass Floats she explains new rules set up by the Khmer Rouge regarding how kids speak. She states, “now they want to control the words out of our mouths”. She then goes on to explain that the Khmer Rouge is forcing all children to call their parents comrade or their mothers Mae and their fathers Pok. Him conveys the belief that Pol Pot controlled the language spoken to assert his authority over the people and make them all uniform citizens. Pol Pot’s control of the people is also evident in a contemporary source notebook during his rule which shows a questionnaire completed by Ly Sok Khy who wanted to join the Khmer Rouge troops. The questionnaire asks Khy several personal questions such as his former possessions, sources of income and political views, it can be inferred from the range of questions asked that it was to have a firm grasp on Khy’s life and assess whether he holds any threats to Pol Pot. The past and present lives of the Cambodians were regulated with rigid measures of examination to reduce any chances of overpowering Pol Pot and eliminate any future threats.
Pol Pot controlled the mass media to restrict Cambodians exposure to the outside world which furthered his oppressive dictatorship over them.
Alongside forcing Cambodians to discard personal possessions such as jewellery and watches Pol Pot also forced them to get rid of electronic devices such as televisions and radios, which limited their contact with unapproved media. Respected academics George Chigas and Dmitri Mosyakov, in their article written for the Genocide Studies Program conducted by Yale University which is a program that conducts research on comparative and policy issues relating to the occurrence of genocide, provides their perspective regarding Pol Pot’s control of mass media. They note that the Khmer Rouge produced at least three monthly publications which were used as methods of indoctrination as the publications glorified the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. They also go on to write that the Cambodians were taught to read in an “uncritical and passive way” so that they would accept the doctrines of the Khmer Rouge and not question them. An education plan written by Pol Pot and the high ranking members of the Khmer Rouge strengthens the credibility of Chigas and Mosyakov’s article, by showing the use of media to disseminate Khmer Rouge ideologies among Cambodians. The plans states, “the strengthening and expanding of songs and poems that reflect good models in the period of political/armed struggle… and songs that describe good models in the period of socialist
revolution and the building of socialism”. The plan is useful in understanding how the Khmer Rouge used the media as a platform to project their aims and principles and as Cambodians had no contact with outside sources of media they were forced to accept what the Khmer Rouge presented to them. Although Pol Pot controlled the mass media he never established a personality cult and so there are no propaganda posters of himself and he was hardly seen and ruled behind closed doors. Loung Ung, a Cambodian rights activist and lecturer experienced firsthand during her childhood the oppressive rule of Pol Pot, and in her biography First They Killed My Father, she indicates the effect of his control on the mass media. She asserts, “The village is closed off to the outside world… Mail, telephones, radios, newspapers, and televisions are all banned, so the only news we get is from the chief”. Her account describes the effect of banning such forms of media and it can be inferred that Pol Pot did this to ensure that Cambodians won’t make contact with the outside world and conspire to overpower himself. Thus, it can be determined that Pol Pot dictated in a brutal regime through the control of mass media.
Pol Pot can be considered as a brutal and oppressive dictator due to his rigid measures of control through the use of terror tactics, the regulation of private lives and control of mass media. By issuing his Khmer Rouge troops to punish anyone who went against his authority and by ruling the personal lives of Cambodians he was able to exercise absolute control in a brutal regime. Furthermore, Pol Pot restricted the media exposed to the people of Cambodia and ensures that anything they saw only glorified the Khmer Rouge, and therefore Pol Pot is a brutal and oppressive dictator.
Terror tactics …show more content…
were critical to Pol Pot’s regime as it ensured the compliance of the Cambodians towards his rule.
The Khmer Rouge captured the city of Phnom Penh in 1976 and in doing so they overthrew the previous Cambodian government and gained complete control over the country. Once they came into power they executed their new reforms to transform Cambodia to an agrarian society inclusive of relocating Cambodians from the city to the countryside to do farm work. Anyone who objected to Pol Pot’s authority and new rules faced harsh repercussions such as torture, execution and the killing of their families by the Khmer Rouge troops. Norodom Sihanouk, the former king of Cambodia prior to the Khmer Rouge regime taking place, states the ramifications he dealt with for refuting Pol Pot’s orders. Sihanouk asserts: “My refusal to serve Pol Pot’s Kampuchea from April 1976 carried with it some responsibility for the elimination of my relatives.” His account is useful in understanding the aggressive elements of the Khmer Rouge and the emphasis on policing and punishing all who stand against Pol Pot. Furthermore, it can be seen that Pol Pot punished Cambodian royalty to exert his dominance and demonstrate to the Cambodians that regardless of stature and influence everyone will face severe consequences for the refusal of his authority. Respected writer …show more content…
and news reporter David Andelman in his article for the widely read New York Times, written during Pol Pot’s rule describes that the Cambodians where scared into submission, with him asserting: “but the new system is said to function largely through fear.” Andelman goes on to explain that there was an increase in the armed forces so that through enforcing militaristic aggression towards Cambodians Pol Pot would not have to deal with wrongdoers threatening his power. Despite Andelman’s article being contemporary to Pol Pot’s rule he was not actually present in Cambodia or experienced the Khmer Rouge regime, however, his account can be strengthened through corroboration with a primary source account of a Khmer Rouge regime survivor. Someth May, during his family’s journey to their new village witnessed two piles of dead bodies and two pieces of hardboard on the bodies read, “For refusing to leaves as they were told”. May’s account provides a clear indication of the use of terror to scare other Cambodians into subordination by the Khmer Rouge. Not only did Pol Pot exercise a brutal and oppressive rule through terror tactics but he also administered the regulation of the private lives of Cambodians.
Following Pol Pot’s rise to power he banned money, religion, various technologies and schools, with his aim being to strip Cambodians of individuality and make them meek unchallenging subjects who simply farmed the land. During his rule he set out strict regulations for Cambodians to follow and severely restricted their freedom, in addition to constant surveillance. Well regarded author and professor of History at Yale University Ben Kiernan, in his well-researched book, The Pol Pot Regime suggests that the Khmer Rouge greatly controlled the Cambodians lives. He asserts, “people labor and eat en masse, wear the same clothes and hairstyles, and spend nearly all leisure hours in the same supervised ways, reduced the interest in and the opportunities for privacy and personal communications”. It can be gathered from Kiernan’s account that Pol Pot regulated the lives of Cambodians with rigid measures of rules to follow so that he had a firm control over the people and therefore chances of an uprising against him would be minimal. Further evidence of Pol Pot dictating the personal lives of Cambodians can be seen from a primary source account of a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. Chanrithy Him and her family lived under the Khmer Rouge regime and in her biography, When Broken Glass Floats she explains new rules set up by the Khmer Rouge regarding how kids speak. She states, “now they want to control the words out of our mouths”. She then goes on to explain that the Khmer Rouge is forcing all children to call their parents comrade or their mothers Mae and their fathers Pok. Him conveys the belief that Pol Pot controlled the language spoken to assert his authority over the people and make them all uniform citizens. Pol Pot’s control of the people is also evident in a contemporary source notebook during his rule which shows a questionnaire completed by Ly Sok Khy who wanted to join the Khmer Rouge troops. The questionnaire asks Khy several personal questions such as his former possessions, sources of income and political views, it can be inferred from the range of questions asked that it was to have a firm grasp on Khy’s life and assess whether he holds any threats to Pol Pot. The past and present lives of the Cambodians were regulated with rigid measures of examination to reduce any chances of overpowering Pol Pot and eliminate any future threats.
Pol Pot controlled the mass media to restrict Cambodians exposure to the outside world which furthered his oppressive dictatorship over them.
Alongside forcing Cambodians to discard personal possessions such as jewellery and watches Pol Pot also forced them to get rid of electronic devices such as televisions and radios, which limited their contact with unapproved media. Respected academics George Chigas and Dmitri Mosyakov, in their article written for the Genocide Studies Program conducted by Yale University which is a program that conducts research on comparative and policy issues relating to the occurrence of genocide, provides their perspective regarding Pol Pot’s control of mass media. They note that the Khmer Rouge produced at least three monthly publications which were used as methods of indoctrination as the publications glorified the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. They also go on to write that the Cambodians were taught to read in an “uncritical and passive way” so that they would accept the doctrines of the Khmer Rouge and not question them. An education plan written by Pol Pot and the high ranking members of the Khmer Rouge strengthens the credibility of Chigas and Mosyakov’s article, by showing the use of media to disseminate Khmer Rouge ideologies among Cambodians. The plans states, “the strengthening and expanding of songs and poems that reflect good models in the period of political/armed struggle… and songs that describe good models in the period of socialist
revolution and the building of socialism”. The plan is useful in understanding how the Khmer Rouge used the media as a platform to project their aims and principles and as Cambodians had no contact with outside sources of media they were forced to accept what the Khmer Rouge presented to them. Although Pol Pot controlled the mass media he never established a personality cult and so there are no propaganda posters of himself and he was hardly seen and ruled behind closed doors. Loung Ung, a Cambodian rights activist and lecturer experienced firsthand during her childhood the oppressive rule of Pol Pot, and in her biography First They Killed My Father, she indicates the effect of his control on the mass media. She asserts, “The village is closed off to the outside world… Mail, telephones, radios, newspapers, and televisions are all banned, so the only news we get is from the chief”. Her account describes the effect of banning such forms of media and it can be inferred that Pol Pot did this to ensure that Cambodians won’t make contact with the outside world and conspire to overpower himself. Thus, it can be determined that Pol Pot dictated in a brutal regime through the control of mass media.
Pol Pot can be considered as a brutal and oppressive dictator due to his rigid measures of control through the use of terror tactics, the regulation of private lives and control of mass media. By issuing his Khmer Rouge troops to punish anyone who went against his authority and by ruling the personal lives of Cambodians he was able to exercise absolute control in a brutal regime. Furthermore, Pol Pot restricted the media exposed to the people of Cambodia and ensures that anything they saw only glorified the Khmer Rouge, and therefore Pol Pot is a brutal and oppressive dictator.