The Khmer Rouge: A Justification Of The Vietnam War

“Although one of the key justifications for the Vietnam war was to prevent the spread of communism, the U.S. defeat was to produce nothing of the kind: apart from the fact that Cambodia and Laos became embroiled, the effects were essentially confined to Vietnam”. This is a famous speaker of Martin Jacques, a famous editor, academic, author in England. This quote tells us about problems of Cambodia after Vietnam war, Cambodia was controlled by Khmer Rouge, a communist group from 1975-1979. Many people have been killed because they against the government. As a result of the Khmer Rouge’s total control and the people’s fighting back. the Cambodian genocide became the most bloody genocide of human history. The Khmer Rouge was a brutal,murderous group tried to revolutionizing the Cambodian society led by Pol Pot.( Cambodian Genocide,n.pag) It started in 1970, during the coup to depose Prince Sihanouk as head of state of Marshal Lon Nol.Khmer Rouge has gained more members . In 1972 , with supporting from the communist Vietnamese , the Khmer Rouge defeated Lon Nol’s forces on battlefield. From January to August 1973, with assistance from the U.S . Khmer Republic government dropped half a millions of bombs , which that may killed 300,000 Cambodian. Many people got anger about the Khmer Republic government, that’s why many of them joined the Khmer Rouge to against the Republic . By Early 1973, 85% of Cambodia was controlled by the Khmer Rouge, so the Republican side was unable go to any battle with enemy. On April 7, 1975, the capital of Cambodia , Phnom Penh was fell on the communist hand, it finished five years of civil war of Cambodian.( Khmer Rouge History,n.pag) By the end of 1975, the Khmer Rouge ‘s force had grown to over 700,000. Almost the soldiers were teenagers without education and never been in city before.( Cambodian Genocide,n.pag) Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia from 1975-1979 , about 1.5 million cambodian died by starvation, execution, disease or overwork..( Pot Pot,n.pag) Pol Pot educated in France and he was a person who admire Mao Zedong ( Chinese communist leader) . The Khmer Rouge followed the Maoist and Marxist-Leninist to renew Cambodia. They wanted to transform Cambodia into a rural, classless society. Pol Pot believed that all Cambodian have to make a labor for a federation of collective farms. Anyone who against this idea has been killed . ( Cambodian Genocide,n.pag) After took power on Cambodia in 1975 The Khmer rouge renamed country to Democratic Kampuchea, arrested and killed thousands of soldiers, military officers and civil servants from old government and forced about 2 million people in Phnom Penh and other cities into the countryside to undertake agricultural work, thousand of them died during the evacuation.(Khmer Rouge History,n.pag) The goal of Khmer Rouge was to make Cambodian back to a primitive “Year Zero,”( Cambodian Genocide,n.pag) and everybody is equal , no rich people, …show more content…
People were not allowed to go outside their cooperative .( Khmer Rouge History,n.pag) People who has educated like doctors, teachers, former civil servants, and other professional will become the target of the Khmer Rouge.( Pol Pot,n.pag) If the government knows that somebody stay together and talked. They could be arrested or executed. ( Khmer Rouge History,n.pag)Family relationships were also heavily criticized. People were forbidden to show even the slightest affection, humor or pity.( Khmer Rouge History,n.pag) Children have to leave their parents to join and service for the army (Pol Pot,n.pag).The Khmer Rouge forced people to work more than 12 hours a day without rest or adequate food. ( Khmer Rouge History,n.pag) All the people who was followed any religious or ethnic group were persecuted or killed. All the temples and churches were destroyed and burned. Buddhist monks and Christian missionaries were killed. ( Cambodian …show more content…
About 2,000 children died in S-21 with their heads smashed against a tree under watching of their parents. The Khmer rouge torture the victims with horrible torture .Favorite methods of torture included simulated drowning and the targeted use of boiling water. They hated everyone with impunity and were quite happy to exterminate anyone who had the potential to cross them or interfere with their aims. ( Top 10