Ep. 72 Khmer Rouge: How a Violent Government Murdered 1/4 of Cambodia's Population
- Author
- Shea LaFountaine
- Published
- Sun 28 Jul 2024
- Episode Link
- None
In 1975, the Khmer Rouge stormed into Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh victorious after 5 years of civil war. The people rejoiced. They thought the victors were there to liberate them, to restore peace and order after years of fighting. That couldn't have been farther from the truth. Over the next 4 years, the Khmer Rouge communist regime would force people into the countryside to work in rice fields night and day, where many died of starvation and disease. They killed the weak, the slow, the intellectuals, anyone who thought for themselves was a threat. In just 4 years, an estimated 2 million Cambodians were murdered by the Khmer Rouge. How could this happen? Join me to discover how the pieces came together, how this violent regime used fear and manipulation to control the masses, and how we can stop it from happening again. Knowledge is power.
Sources:
- worldhistory.org "Khmer Empire"
- history.com "Khmer Rouge"
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum "Cambodia"
- University of Minnesota "Cambodia"
- Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields "Worms from Our Skin"
- Holocaust Museum Houston "Genocide in Cambodia"
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