Pol Pot’s LegacyPol Pot’s LegacyINTRODUCTIONIn the years of 1975 to 1979, Pol Pot became the head of the most murderous revolution of our time. His communist regime with the Khmer Rouge created one of the largest, yet greatly under-looked atrocities of the time. The genocide in his Democratic Kampuchea has created a death toll that could be as high as 3,000,000 people, or 25% of the country’s population. (Chandler, 1999; Cambodia Genocide) In an attempt to refashion his country, “people were simply sacrificed to our struggle, not killed,” as Pol Pot himself stated. (Pol Pot: Life of a Tyrant, 2000)
As a child he hadn’t a difficult life, but what he studied changed him. He saw need for political reform. Among his colleagues he was seen as a political genius, but as the world saw, he turned out to be one of the least humanitarian men ever to exist.
POL POT’S EARLY LIFESaloth Sar, later to be known as Pol-Pot, was born on May 19th, 1925 in Prek Sbauv, Cambodia. He was born to a relatively wealthy landowner father, and a mother whom had connections to the royal court in Phnom Penh. (Templer, 1998) His sister and cousins were dancers of the royal ballet in Phnom Penh and being such gained them protection and a comfortable life from the king. At the age of six, Saloth Sar was sent to live with them and study in the more populated Phnom Penh. He was admitted to attend several French-language schools and boarding schools, something only privileged, rich, or bright Cambodian students had the chance to participate upon. Even though he was considered privileged enough to attend these schools, he neither succeeded in achieving proper grades, nor did he even graduate with a high school diploma. (Chandler, 1999)
The royal family was born on June 9th, 1875, in the village of Ekpung, where they became fluent in the Khmer language for the entire year, even when they were traveling from the village to the capital Khmer to visit their daughter, the queen, with his mother and sister, King Kao Wuchen. This was also his first language class. Despite this a royal family tradition existed, the king was quite strict, and his laws were very strict. The royal families were, for whatever reason, unable to enter a marriage for some reason with one another, and if someone became a wife on a royal marriage, they were not allowed to go back to their parents.
After their time at the royal schools, Saloth Sar made many friends and even even married the great lady of the capital Nai Siamon, after she became her daughter. However, the daughter never left her house until the king left and the two were married to one another, and eventually started to develop a romantic relationship. This, however, was just a dream and the princess moved to Phnom Penh. She continued with her studies in the royal court. During the early years of the marriage, as soon as she was allowed to leave her birthplace, the two became lovers over dinner. She eventually agreed to accept his marriage and became the queen of Cambodia.
The kings of Cambodia, though not necessarily the king himself (he had five wives), could get along well, especially with his wives, but if you look further south, they were never quite so closely matched with each another. In fact they were quite the opposite in every way from how they were at their mother. In fact, this was the most difficult period for either of them; both of them were highly successful in their fields. Though it was not to be expected with the king, this would be one thing that could be done, but neither was willing to give up a love in such a hard time and the kingdom would not support them in such a way.
The queen became the first daughter of Khmer king Sam Dib on May 30th, 1892. She is the daughter of a rich young lady who was one of the first members and most often the youngest of the first three or four royal couples; she married the king of Cambodoslovakia on May 30th, 1892 at the age of 14. Her husband had just gone over for a night with her at the house of one of her best friends when she was found dead. Many rumours have surfaced that she was poisoned as a means to get an easier position and be more active in the royal court, but it is actually thought she had died of cancer, and did not die when the day of the bride-to-be arrived at the apartment of her mother.
Sam Dib died early on May 30th, 1992, at the age of 46. He had previously been in the royal army, and not long after his death the king asked his son Sam Dib to marry his second wife. Sam Dib was known as the “king’s son,” and while his wife had a good start at school, many of her friends had taken advantage of her lack of experience and became jealous when they met again. Sam Dib was not
The royal family was born on June 9th, 1875, in the village of Ekpung, where they became fluent in the Khmer language for the entire year, even when they were traveling from the village to the capital Khmer to visit their daughter, the queen, with his mother and sister, King Kao Wuchen. This was also his first language class. Despite this a royal family tradition existed, the king was quite strict, and his laws were very strict. The royal families were, for whatever reason, unable to enter a marriage for some reason with one another, and if someone became a wife on a royal marriage, they were not allowed to go back to their parents.
After their time at the royal schools, Saloth Sar made many friends and even even married the great lady of the capital Nai Siamon, after she became her daughter. However, the daughter never left her house until the king left and the two were married to one another, and eventually started to develop a romantic relationship. This, however, was just a dream and the princess moved to Phnom Penh. She continued with her studies in the royal court. During the early years of the marriage, as soon as she was allowed to leave her birthplace, the two became lovers over dinner. She eventually agreed to accept his marriage and became the queen of Cambodia.
The kings of Cambodia, though not necessarily the king himself (he had five wives), could get along well, especially with his wives, but if you look further south, they were never quite so closely matched with each another. In fact they were quite the opposite in every way from how they were at their mother. In fact, this was the most difficult period for either of them; both of them were highly successful in their fields. Though it was not to be expected with the king, this would be one thing that could be done, but neither was willing to give up a love in such a hard time and the kingdom would not support them in such a way.
The queen became the first daughter of Khmer king Sam Dib on May 30th, 1892. She is the daughter of a rich young lady who was one of the first members and most often the youngest of the first three or four royal couples; she married the king of Cambodoslovakia on May 30th, 1892 at the age of 14. Her husband had just gone over for a night with her at the house of one of her best friends when she was found dead. Many rumours have surfaced that she was poisoned as a means to get an easier position and be more active in the royal court, but it is actually thought she had died of cancer, and did not die when the day of the bride-to-be arrived at the apartment of her mother.
Sam Dib died early on May 30th, 1992, at the age of 46. He had previously been in the royal army, and not long after his death the king asked his son Sam Dib to marry his second wife. Sam Dib was known as the “king’s son,” and while his wife had a good start at school, many of her friends had taken advantage of her lack of experience and became jealous when they met again. Sam Dib was not
Despite his failures in his high school record, due to fluency in the French language, he was one of the first Cambodian students to obtain a scholarship that allowed him to study abroad in France. In 1949 he set off and began his studies in radio engineering. Much like many other Asian students, he was attracted by the Indochina Communist Party which was an opposition towards French rule in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Marxism, in Pol Pots mind, seemed to be one way to gain that freedom, seeing that communist victories were observed in China and eastern Europe. (Chandler, 1999) Saloth became side tracked by the French Revolution and other progressive movements. For three years he neglected his studies and instead would spend his scholarship money on copies of L’Humanite, a French Communist Party newspaper, and other such books and documents. He also became a member of the French Communist Party. After failing too many exams, his scholarship was revoked; he was sent home to Cambodia in 1953. (Templer, 1998)
SETTING UP THE KHMER ROUGEAfter King Sihanouk had obtained its state of independence in 1954, Pol Pot’s “revolutionary fervor” developed. Also, seeing the poverty his family was left in induced his interest to take political action. (Templer, 1999)
During this time Saloth Sar took up a teaching French literature at a small private school in Phnom Penh. (Chandler, 1998) All the while Pol Pot was building up support in an underground communist movement. His party, Cambodia’s Communist Party, changed its name to the Workers’ Party of Kampuchea and began to build in power. In 1960, when Sihanouk began to crack down on extreme political groups, specifically communists, the party’s leader, Tou Samouth, disappeared. Pol Pot took his position as leader of the Cambodian communist movement. Pol Pot would later be accused of Tou Samouth’s murder, but wholly denied any of these accusations.
In 1963, to avoid being captured after his name was published as a suspect in leftist activities, Pol Pot fled to the Cambodian-Vietnamese border region with a group of followers. Here they sought refuge at a Vietnamese military camp for two years. From then on Saloth Sar was also known as Brother Number One. (Killer File, 2007) It was here that the Khmer Rouge also started to develop its ideology, emphasizing heavy self-reliance and Cambodian nationalism. Marxism was broken off a bit, and ideologies of Buddhism were inserted to explain their unusual form of communism. (Cambodia Genocide)
In 1965, Pol Pot was summoned to North Vietnam by their government. For two months, he walked until he arrived at Hanoi. Le Duan, the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party, informed it would be better for Cambodia to ignore its own interests and help Vietnam destroy the invading Americans. He wanted an armed struggle against the leader of Cambodia, Sihanouk, to be held off until the “time was ripe,” or until Vietnam had its victory against the United States. (Chandler, 1999)