lOCATION → CAMBODIA

Cambodia was a simple country until Pol Pot took power in Cambodia as a communist leader. He was equipped with an army known as Khmer Rouge. They engaged it guerrilla warfare against the government for years. He conducted radical experiments to create a utopia designed in his image.

ONES AFFECTED BY POL POT

The murders went on from 1975 - 1979 and it affected many people. More than 2,000,000 people were murdered in order to create Pol Pot's utopia. Millions of people in Cambodia were forced to work in "killing fields" where they perished from overwork, malnutrition, and disease. He especially targeted those who belonged to the "old society". People he considered part of the "old society" were the educated, the wealthy, Buddhist monks, police, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and former government officials. Ex-soldiers were also killed along with their families (children and wives). He considered these killings radical experiments.

What Happened to Pol Pot?

This genocide finally ended in 1979, and the Khmer Rouge took the lives of many. Also occurring that year, Vietnam wanted to take down the Khmer Rouge, so that there would be an end to their scandalous crimes. On January 7, 1979 Pol Pot was overthrown and the Vietnamese introduced a new puppet government.

Watch this video to learn more and get a better understanding!