Comparison: The Rise And Fall Of Pol Pot

The Rise and Fall of Pol Pot Pol Pot, infamous for his connection to the Khmer Rouge that identified with communism, held power in Cambodia from 1975-1979. Although, this is only a short period of time, he undoubtedly left a lasting impression on the Cambodian population. Pol Pot’s revolution failed to increase the level of Human Rights and wealth for the Khmer people. Pol Pot and his party became obsessed with eliminating “enemies” of the Khmer Rouge from the population. They devastated any chance at economic and Civil Right prosperity by killing their own people through working them to death, starvation, and disease. In the later years of the Pol Pot regimen, the obsession with eliminating enemies of state became so extreme that the regimen
He had just returned from a “labor battalion in the renegade Communist state of Yugoslavia”. His experience in Yugoslavia was exciting to say the least. The country was banding together in preparation for a potential Soviet invasion; everywhere, roads, factories, railroads, and hydraulic centers were being built. This was Sar’s first introduction to large scale social mobilization and public works. At the point it was at, Yugoslavia appeared to be a country filled with hope, possibilities, industrialization, and unity; Yugoslavia was a positive example of what communism could do for a country. The exciting transformations that were occurring in Yugoslavia were most certainly an impact on Saloth Sar’s views of communism and the potentials it could offer Cambodia and the Khmer people. Saloth Sar desired to see a change in his country and society because he felt that the oppression and injustices his people were subject to was a crime of French Imperialism and the monarchy. He believed that his country would be able to prosper once these two factors were taken out of the political equation. Sar desired to build Cambodia’s economy as well as institute individual liberties. Saloth Sar formally joined the French Communist Party in 1952 before he returned to
Pol Pot and his regime were able to take control of Cambodia at the time they did for several different reasons; the United States had left Vietnam, as well as pulled their military support from Cambodia ; the current government was filled with corrupt political and military leaders which caused them to lose popularity among the Khmer people; and the Khmer Rouge were tough, regimented, and their vision of a new society was attractive and gained the support of many people. The Khmer Rouge appeared to be a breath of fresh air for the Khmer people. They had a plan to solve many of the problems Cambodia had faced for centuries.
The Cambodia Revolution, led by Pol Pot, was meant to change the people’s role in their country and government. Revolutionaries and supports of the revolution wanted the “Khmer people to wake up” to face their individual and collective problems and join together in order to work for the good of the single being and the country. The revolutionary army that was created was suppose to fight together and sever the people without foreign influences. The revolutionaries rallied the people together to serve their nation; the restructured society was not to have any notion of personal