cambodia genocide
Time Period
1975-1979
2,000,000 deaths
2,000,000 deaths
difficult life conditions
Under Pol Pot's rule difficult life conditions were placed on the Cambodians. Khmer Rouge, an organization that forced opposed the Cambodian government and forced reconstruction of their society. The Khmer reconstructed the Cambodian government based off of the Communist model of Mao's China, they believed that the population of Cambodia must work as one giant, collective, workforce working for the greater good, and anyone who objected to that communist society would be eliminated. The genocide’s roots came from social and political turmoil, leading to a panic among the people. They found hope in Pol Pot, until they learnt of his true intentions, or were already part of the plan. Religion was banned, all Buddhist monks were killed and almost all temples destroyed.
Sense of Self/ Way of Life Threatened
Pol Pot was threatened by Cambodians who were we'll educated, during the Cambodian Genocide, Pol Pot focused mainly on those who were educated and played major parts in society, lawyers, government officials, students, monks and doctors. Being able to eliminate the well educated Cambodians, Pol Pot was able to have all the power and demonize anyone he wanted to, without being threatened by the well educated.
US vs. Them Mentality
The leaders of Khmer Rouge believed that in order to reach the Ideal Communist Model, then they must eliminate anyone who does not agree with that mentality and will eventually get in their way of reaching their target. That led to a target on potential enemies, including the educated, professionals, monks and intellectuals.
Continuum of Destruction
The leaders of Khmer Rouge believed that in order to reach the Ideal Communist Model, then they must eliminate anyone who does not agree with that mentality and will eventually get in their way of reaching their target. That led to a target on potential enemies, including the educated, professionals, monks and intellectuals. The continuum of destruction began when they forced the Cambodians from their homes and into camps. The places that they were taken to were to places that were no longer useful, such as schools and government buildings, which were no longer in use because of Khmer Rouge's want to eliminate the educated. One of the High Schools in Cambodia was turned into a prison where 30,000 people were prisoned. The destruction soon escalated into ruthless mass murders and questioning to find out where other educated people were. Over the course of the three years of the Cambodian Genocide, nearly one-fourth of the country was killed, 2,000,000 people were killed. Khmer slogan "To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss"
cultural characteristics
Pol Pot's goal of getting rid of the intellectuals was so that he could make Cambodia the ideal communist society, nationalizing and centralizing the peasant farming society. The Khmer Rouge believed the having a centralized peasant farming society would be helpful to Cambodia, and help them grow stronger. This plan would only come together once everyone stopped protesting, and when that would happen they would have a well organized communist society in which the people would respect their authorities.
Role of Bystanders
During the Cambodian Genocide, everyone in Cambodia was either killing or being killed. Everyone in Cambodia had a part during the genocide, but the Vietnamese were the ones standing by watching. The Vietnamese took the roles of the Bystanders and didn't really help matters of what was taking place. Vietnam, eventually helped out and the genocide ended, but it was too late, 2,000,000 Cambodians had already been killed. Although the Vietnamese did take action eventually, they could be considered an aid to murder as if they had taken action earlier; many people could have been saved.
Leadership and Followers
Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge, the group of people that committed the massacre of the Cambodian Genocide. Lon Nol's loss in power is the part that is considered to be the genocide. Lon Nol's loss in power power causing panic and many people searched for an escape or reformation, which is when they joined the Khmer Rouge.
Use of State Power
The state, cambodia, influenced the Cambodian because they wanted to reconstruct the Cambodian society to be like China's communism. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were the individual leaders of this genocide, who were against the current Government of Cambodia, so they wanted to go against the states government to create their own. The destruction caused, was created by Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge, who made their own desicians against Cambodia.
Result
I dont think that what happened in Cambodia should be concidered a genocide becuase there wasnt a specific target. Although a lot of the model was on target, one of the most important aspects of a genocide was not met. In the Cambodian Genocide there wasnt a targeted group of people, it was pretty much everyone who got in the Khmer Rouge's way of building a communist society. The Khmer Rouge targeted on pretty much everyone intelectual, oposed to the genocide where there was a specific target of Jews.
Primary source
"To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss"- Khmer Rouge
Connection: This shows how much the Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge didn't care about the Cambodians. They could kill all of them, and not regret it at all. The whole goal that Pol Pot had in creating this genocide was to reach a communist society, and therefore he just killed everyone who was against that. If someone was a threat, and Pol Pot eliminated him, he would no longer be a threat. If someone wasn't a threat, and Pol Pot killed him, he would still not ever be able to become a threat. So in Pol Pots vision, killing everyone was the safest and most efficient way to accomplish his plan.
Connection: This shows how much the Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge didn't care about the Cambodians. They could kill all of them, and not regret it at all. The whole goal that Pol Pot had in creating this genocide was to reach a communist society, and therefore he just killed everyone who was against that. If someone was a threat, and Pol Pot eliminated him, he would no longer be a threat. If someone wasn't a threat, and Pol Pot killed him, he would still not ever be able to become a threat. So in Pol Pots vision, killing everyone was the safest and most efficient way to accomplish his plan.
Primary source
The Security Regulations in S-21 Prison
1. You must answer accordingly to my question. Don’t turn them away.
2. Don’t try to hide the facts by making pretexts this and that, you are strictly prohibited to contest me.
3. Don’t be a fool for you are a chap who dare to thwart the revolution.
4. You must immediately answer my questions without wasting time to reflect.
5. Don’t tell me either about your immoralities or the essence of the revolution.
6. While getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all.
7. Do nothing, sit still and wait for my orders. If there is no order, keep quiet. When I ask you to do something, you must do it right away without protesting.
8. Don’t make pretext about Kampuchea Krom in order to hide your secret or traitor.
9. If you don’t follow all the above rules, you shall get many many lashes of electric wire.
10. If you disobey any point of my regulations you shall get either ten lashes or five shocks of electric discharge.
Connection: This prison, Tuol Sleng S-21, was originally a school before turning it into a prison by the Khmer Rouge, which was part of their destruction in getting rid of the education.This connects to the continuum of destruction caused during the Cambodian Genocide. This shows how forceful the leaders of the Cambodian Genocide were to the Cambodians. If any rule was broken there were seriously punished for it, which caused a lot of the deaths. The S-21 prison was the most famous prison during the Cambodian genocide, and was an extreme torture chamber.
1. You must answer accordingly to my question. Don’t turn them away.
2. Don’t try to hide the facts by making pretexts this and that, you are strictly prohibited to contest me.
3. Don’t be a fool for you are a chap who dare to thwart the revolution.
4. You must immediately answer my questions without wasting time to reflect.
5. Don’t tell me either about your immoralities or the essence of the revolution.
6. While getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all.
7. Do nothing, sit still and wait for my orders. If there is no order, keep quiet. When I ask you to do something, you must do it right away without protesting.
8. Don’t make pretext about Kampuchea Krom in order to hide your secret or traitor.
9. If you don’t follow all the above rules, you shall get many many lashes of electric wire.
10. If you disobey any point of my regulations you shall get either ten lashes or five shocks of electric discharge.
Connection: This prison, Tuol Sleng S-21, was originally a school before turning it into a prison by the Khmer Rouge, which was part of their destruction in getting rid of the education.This connects to the continuum of destruction caused during the Cambodian Genocide. This shows how forceful the leaders of the Cambodian Genocide were to the Cambodians. If any rule was broken there were seriously punished for it, which caused a lot of the deaths. The S-21 prison was the most famous prison during the Cambodian genocide, and was an extreme torture chamber.
Primary source
Cambodian justice Act- Section 572
"In General. -- Consistent with international law, it is the policy of the United States to support efforts to bring to justice members of the Khmer Rouge for their crimes against humanity committed in Cambodia between April 17, 1975, and January 7, 1979."
Connection: This connects to the role of the United States, as a bystander, during the Cambodian genocide. The United states made a policy punishing the Khmer rouge for the deaths that they caused during the genocide. This means that they believed that it was a genocide, so they acted upon it, to help the Cambodians fromo being killed.
"In General. -- Consistent with international law, it is the policy of the United States to support efforts to bring to justice members of the Khmer Rouge for their crimes against humanity committed in Cambodia between April 17, 1975, and January 7, 1979."
Connection: This connects to the role of the United States, as a bystander, during the Cambodian genocide. The United states made a policy punishing the Khmer rouge for the deaths that they caused during the genocide. This means that they believed that it was a genocide, so they acted upon it, to help the Cambodians fromo being killed.