The Cambodian Genocide Essay - 971 Words

The Cambodian Genocide took place from 1975 to 1979 in the Southeastern Asian country of Cambodia. The genocide was a brutal massacre that killed 1.4 to 2.2 million people, about 21% of Cambodia’s population. This essay, will discuss the history of the Cambodian genocide, specifically, what happened, the victims and the perpetrators and the world’s response to the genocide. The Cambodian Genocide has the historical context of the Vietnam War and the country’s own civil war. During the Vietnam War, leading up to the conflicts that would contribute to the genocide, Cambodia was used as a U.S. battleground for the Vietnam War. Cambodia would become a battle ground for American troops fighting in Vietnam for four years; the war would kill up†¦show more content†¦Also, religious leaders like monks, and Christian missionaries would be killed. These victims would be persecuted, because they went against the ideals of communism, like the professionals and intellectuals being educated, the monks and missionaries being religious, and minorities going against Pol Pot’s idea of a â€Å"pure† Cambodian society. The genocide’s process and method of killing was through prisons and killing fields. The urban city dweller population was evacuated to the countryside, those who were elderly, frail, disabled, basically incapable of making the journey, and those who seemed to be against the new regime were killed on the spot. When the rest of the people reached the countryside they were forced to do farm work in an effort to put society back to an agrarian society starting at year zero. Many people would also die of starvation, malnutrition, and disease or for committing supposed crimes. Prison were also used, such as the now infamous prison S-21, that was once a high school that was used for some of the most brutal and gruesome killings. It was used to interrogate people and force people into admitting to having committed crimes. It was used from mid1975 to 1979. Approximately 17,000 people were killed here. People were forced into admitting to crimes through torture techniques, such as hang ing, drowning, electric shock, and other methods. The prisoners were well documented,Show MoreRelatedThe Genocide Of The Cambodian Genocide1564 Words   |  7 PagesMerriam-Webster Dictionary, genocide is defined as â€Å" the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political or cultural group.† When most people think of the word genocide, often the Holocaust comes to mind. What the world seems to fail to realize is that many genocides, just as tragic have and continue to occur. The Cambodian Genocide is an important event to understand and research because it is one of the lesser-known genocides and can be analyzed for future genocide prevention. BackgroundRead MoreThe Cambodian Genocide And The Armenian Genocide2391 Words   |  10 PagesThe Cambodian Genocide and the Armenian Genocide have similar methods of how the victims were killed. They similarly murdered their victims, starved their victims and targeted government officials. They were different in that the Armenians were deported but the Khmer Rouge targeted Cambodians based of their class and had re-education camps. The Cambodian Genocide happened between 1975 and 1979 in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge, a guerrilla group, over threw the government and started a regime toRead MoreThe Armenian and Cambodian Genocides707 Words   |  3 PagesGenocide Paper The definition of genocide, according to the United Nations, was the attempt to destroy â€Å"a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group† by killing members, causing mental or bodily harm, harsh living conditions, prevention of births, and separating children from their families. 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Even thoughRead MoreThe Khmer Rouge And The Cambodian Genocide1155 Words   |  5 PagesSisowath Doung Chanto was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and lost his life to the Cambodian Genocide, an unfortunate event that caused the death of around one and a half million people (Leslie 6). In Cambodia, a population of around seven million dropped down to around five million from the genocide as well as the accompanying famine, rebellion, and war. In 1975-1979, an infamous communist regime, called the Khmer Rouge, headed by Pol Pot, brutally killed twenty five percent of Cambodia’s originalRead MoreEssay about The Holocaust and the Cambodian Genocide 1201 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinition of genocide is killing a large group of people of a certain origin. The Holocaust was in Germany and started in 1933. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were in charge of the Holocaust. The Cambodian Genocide took place in Cambodia. Cambodia is in Southeast Asia (â€Å"Cambodian†). Pol Pot was the leader of Khmer Rouge and the group was in charge of the Cambodian Genocide (â€Å"Cambodian†). The Cambodian Genocide started in 1975 and ended in 1978 because Khmer Rouge was ended by Vietnam (â€Å"Cambodian†). The HolocaustRead MoreRwanda and Cambodian Genocide Essay2251 Words   |  10 Pagesout of control. It’s amazing how ignorant and stubborn the human race can be. This is exactly the response of many nations when it comes to genocide. Genocide is the systematic killing of all the people from a national, ethnic, or religious group. Two of the most recent genocides in history are the genocide of Rwanda and the genocide of Cambodia. The genocide of Cambodia started on the year of 1975 and ended on 1979. This is considered the Khmer Pogue period, where Pol Pot ,  Nuon Chea,  Ieng SaryRead MoreTwo Similar but Different Genocides: The Holocaust and Cambodian Genocide1092 Words   |  5 Pagesbeings. The Holocaust and Cambodian genocide were two of the most horrific genocides in the history of civilization. The Holocaust and Cambodian genocide has not only similarities but also differences. How they treated their victims, USA involvement, and that they both killed millions of people are some things they share. Differences they include are the people they targeted, how the two leaders took office and lastly where these to genocides took place. Of these two genocides, the Holocaust is more