Some of the remains from the killing fields.

Pol Pot

Some of the Khmer Rouge army.

Bibliography

• http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm
• http://www.cambcomm.org.uk/holocaust.html
• http://www.yale.edu/cgp/
• http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/pot.html
• http://www.cambodia.org/khmer_rouge/
• http://vagabonding.com/travelogue/000060.html

Interesting Facts

Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge did many things that did not make much sense. Some of those activities I have decided to list.

• Children were taken away form their families and put into communals. Later in their lives they got married, against their own will, in collective ceremonies.
• The soldiers of the Khmer Rouge often killed babies by bashing their heads against tree's.
• Khmer Rouge made their own flag.
• Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge renamed Cambodia, they called it Democratic Kampuchea.
• The war lasted about 17 years.
• Pol Pot lost control of his army in the 1990's.
• In some of Cambodia's prisons more than 500,000 people were tortured and killed.

Killing Fields

The killing fields were one of the most terrible things that Pol Pot had created. Millions of people were forced into slave work. About 1.7 million Cambodians died from malnutrition, disease, and from being overworked. They had to work 18 hour work days, with only two breaks. All while being under the supervision of soldiers. If any of the soldiers saw a person that looked weak, that person would of been killed. Most of the soldiers were just young men. In villages if more then two people were talking, they had to be "supervised". Remains from the killing fields are still being discovered today.

Year Zero

Pol Pots army seized control of Cambodia on April 17th. Pol Pot said he was going to "purify" the country. Some of the things he wanted do was;

• Got rid of all foreigners.
• Refused economical and medical help from any other country.
• The use of foreign language was banned.
• Any use of communication was shut down.
• Money was not allowed.
• Businesses were terminated.
• Religion, education, and health care were all discontinued.
• Parental authority was stopped.

All cities were evacuated by force. About two million people were evacuated at gun point, 20,000 people died. In 1975 all Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham Muslims, and 20 other small ethnic groups were killed. Pol Pot wanted to get rid of anyone who was educated or anyone who looked educated. Hospital patients that could not walk were shot, and most babies were brutally murdered.

How it all began

Between 1969 and 1973, the U.S. bombed the North Vietnamese sanctuaries. The bombing killed about 150,00 people. The rest fled to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Soon after in 1975 the U.S. pulled all of its troops out of Vietnam. Which was a really bad idea. After the U.S. left, things turned for the worst. Pol Pot wanted to take over all of Cambodia. So Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge marched into the capital city. Pol Pot wanted to start his own country. He was planning on shutting the rest of the world out. And that is exactly what he did.

Who was Pol Pot?

Pol Pot was born in Cambodia, in 1925. He taught history and geography in a private school. In 1953 he joined an underground communist movement. In 1962 he became the leader of the Cambodian Communist Party. Soon after that the leader of Cambodia chased Pol Pot in to the Cambodian jungle. While Pol Pot was in the jungle he formed an army called the Khmer Rouge. They began a guerrilla war against Sihanouk. In 1970 Prince Sihanouk lost his powers. So then the U.S. invaded Cambodia, hoping to run out the Vietnamese. Instead it made them run farther into Cambodia and they then joined the Khmer Rouge. On December 25, 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia. On January 7, 1979 Phnom Penh was destroyed. Pol Pot was then forced out of Cambodia and ran off to Thailand, with what was left of the Khmer Rouge. In April of 1998, Pol Pot died of a heart attack just before he was able to go to trial.