# Pol Pot & the Khmer Rouge: The Cambodian Genocide History
> Explore the history of Pol Pot, the rise of the Khmer Rouge, Year Zero ideology, and the devastating impact of the Cambodian Genocide from 1975–1979.

Tags: pol-pot, khmer-rouge, cambodian-genocide, history, year-zero, killing-fields, southeast-asia, communism
## Pol Pot & The Khmer Rouge (1925–1998)

## Overview
* Early life of Saloth Sar (Pol Pot).
* Education and radicalization in Paris.
* Rise of the Khmer Rouge and the 1975 takeover.
* Year Zero ideology and the Killing Fields.
* The Vietnamese invasion and the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

## Early Life & Radicalization
* Born Saloth Sar in 1925 to a prosperous family with royal connections.
* Studied radio electronics in Paris (1949–1953) where he joined the French Communist Party.
* Influenced by Marx, Lenin, and Mao Zedong.

## Rise to Power
* 1963: Becomes Secretary-General of CPK (Communist Party of Kampuchea).
* 1970: Lon Nol overthrows Prince Sihanouk; Sihanouk allies with Khmer Rouge.
* April 17, 1975: Khmer Rouge captures Phnom Penh; mass urban evacuation begins.

## Year Zero Ideology
* **Agrarian Utopia**: Aimed to create a pure peasant society.
* **Abolition**: Money outlawed, religion banned, and schools closed.
* **Purges**: Intellectuals and city dwellers targeted; wearing glasses could mean a death sentence.

## The Genocide & The Killing Fields
* Approximately 2 million deaths (25% of the population) from 1975–1979.
* Causes: Mass murder, starvation, forced labor, and disease.
* **S-21 (Tuol Sleng)**: 17,000 prisoners tortured; only 7 known survivors.
* **Choeung Ek**: Execution site where victims were killed with blunt tools.

## Fall and Legacy
* 1979: Vietnam invades and captures Phnom Penh.
* Pol Pot flees to the Thai border and leads a guerrilla war until the 1990s.
* 1998: Pol Pot dies under house arrest.
* **The Tribunal**: ECCC established in 2003; convictions for figures like 'Duch', Nuon Chea, and Khieu Samphan.
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