The dictatorship separated children from their parents and forced arranged marriages. With a recent history of border conflicts, Vietnam entered Cambodia by late , deposing Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge early the following year. Mass graves, or "killing fields," provided evidence of the atrocities, with Pol Pot found guilty of genocide by a tribunal though he was never imprisoned.
Ngor and Sam Waterston. Pol Pot fled Phnom Penh for the jungle upon Vietnam's occupation, with his party later receiving support from the U. Pol Pot retired as leader of the Khmer Rouge by the late s. Even now, and you can look at me: am I a savage person? In , a faction of the Khmer Rouge arrested Pol Pot and tried him in what many consider to have been little more than a show. He was placed under house arrest, where he died on April 15, of natural causes near Anlong Veng, Cambodia.
We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. He ranks among the most famous and influential politicians of the 20th century. Vladimir Lenin was founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and architect and first head of the Soviet state.
The regime would ultimately collapse when the neighboring Vietnam invaded, establishing an occupation that would last more than a decade. Eight years before the genocide began, Cambodia was engaged in a bloody civil war. The war pitted the Cambodian monarchy, and later the Cambodian Republic, and its allies, including the United States, against the Cambodian communists.
The communists received support from the neighboring Vietcong. The Cambodian monarchy promoted a strong sense of nationalism and loyalty to the government, but was also seen as corrupt and ineffectual. This corruption would breed several underground groups with the shared goal of overthrowing the government. Early on, right-wing and leftist groups, including leaders of what would become the Khmer Rouge, were allies.
Income inequality was rampant. Cambodians living in the urban areas enjoyed relative wealth and comfort while the majority of Cambodians toiled on farms in the rural communities. This obvious division of class made Cambodia especially susceptible to revolution.
Ultimately, the Khmer Rouge would take power in , installing Pol Pot as the leader of the country. Once the Khmer Rouge took power, they instituted a radical reorganization of Cambodian society. This meant the forced removal of city dwellers into the countryside, where they would be forced to work as farmers, digging canals and tending to crops. Families were also split up.
The Khmer Rouge created labor brigades, assigning groups depending on age and gender. This policy resulted in hundreds of thousands of Cambodians starving to death. Religious and ethnic minorities faced particular persecution.
Christian and Buddhist groups were targeted for repression but it was the Cham Muslim group that was most affected by the genocide. Because the Khmer Rouge placed a heavy emphasis on the rural peasant population, anyone considered an intellectual was targeted for special treatment. This meant teachers, lawyers, doctors, and clergy were the targets of the regime. There is difficulty establishing a definitive number of victims of the Cambodian Genocide.
The Cambodians kept methodical records of prisoners and executions. Tags: history research Asia world. Sign up for a daily briefing. All RSS Feeds. Close menu. Search Newsroom Submit search.
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