Pol Pot’s Genocide: The Reasoning Behind the Madness Often times, independence creates the perfect situation for radical ideas to overtake rational thoughts, and, if not well thought out, it leads to self destruction. When based on a peaceful belief system, the results of this primal rejection of traditional standards are catastrophic due to the persuasive nature of the fundamental essence of peace. Genocide is a horrific tragedy that no human being should be able to rationalize without this serious skewing of well-intentioned teachings to reflect extreme ideals or the occurrence of a great mental disturbance to push one over the edge of sanity into the depths of reasonless treachery. This shift was apparent in the rise to power and the reign of communist leader Pol Pot, a genocidal purist bound on cleansing Cambodia’s ethnic and moral system after its freedom …show more content…
66). Short (2005) argues that this is where Sâr developed his affinity for the communist lifestyle, but this is merely when his belief system found a name and a political party in which it could legitimately exist. Sâr did not initially identify with any particular faction of the communist party while learning about it in France, but merely saw it as a tool to educate others on how to structure their lives to reap the benefits of simplicity, and teach he did. Sâr, now going by the name Pol Pot, became a professor upon returning to Cambodia to start “a career teaching French and geography at a private college in Phnom Penh” to spread his knowledge through his charisma (Som, 2008). His teachings allowed him to gather a large sphere of influence, picking up like-minded individuals wherever he lectured, leading to his rise through the ranks of the communist party, and becoming its
On the surface, Chinatown is a film about the political corruption surrounding the conflict over water rights in Southern California in the early 20th century. But really, it is a film that gives the audience a bleak and pessimistic view of humanity as it sheds light on the deep moral bankruptcy of which humans are capable. The opening scene of Chinatown gives the audience a taste of the human immorality to come and also hints at some key themes that continue throughout the film.
The Cambodian Genocide and the Holocaust are unique in the areas of reason and aftermath effect. Hitler wanted to create a “Master Race” (“Holocaust”), also he wanted to exterminate the Jewish population because he believed they “hindered” population growth (“Some”). Pot wanted to deconstruc...
Walker, Luke. "Cambodian Genocide World Without Genocide." Cambodian Genocide. William Mitchell College of Law, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. .
Throughout the nation’s 2000-year history, Cambodia, a developing Southeast Asian country located on the Indochina Peninsula, has experienced a number of glories and tragedies; as a matter of fact, it was until 1993 that the democratic election, supported by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), were conducted to restore peace in Cambodia under a coalition government (CIA World Factbook, 2013). In order to transform from the negative peace which is just the absent of direct violence to the positive peace meaning the absent of cultural and structural violence, Cambodia, the younger member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has been trying as hard as possible to address the problem of inequality with the obvious hope that if inequality is not natural, according to Hobbes, but rather constructed, there are probably chances to level down its impacts or even demolish its existence.
Influencing people at a young age is one tactic used by Hitler in Nazi Germany and by Big Brother in 1984 to keep the future of their nations devoted. This tactic is made evident in Nazi Germany and in 1984 by the youth organizations set up by both dictators’. These organizations make their youth feel like they are involved. Both Hitler and Big Brother have ways to brainwash the youth into following. The Spies in 1984 and the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany grow up living the way that their dictator had set up and for the rest of their lives they will be faithful and devoted; it’s the only way that they know. These tactics are especially cruel because the youth have no way of knowing what’s going to happen, it just seems like the right thing to do at the time. The reason Hitler and Big Brother’s manipulation of the youth is so intriguing is because it is purely elementary.
Walker, Luke. "Cambodian Genocide." World Without Genocide. William Mitchell College of Law, 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
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 to 750,00 Cambodians through U.S. efforts to destroy suspected North Vietnamese supply lines. This devastation would take its toll on the Cambodian peoples’ morale and would later help to contribute that conflicts that caused the Cambodian genocide. In the 1970’s the Khmer rouge guerilla movement would form. The leader of the Khmer rouge, Pol Pot was educated in France and believed in Maoist Communism. These communist ideas would become important foundations for the ideas of the genocide, and which groups would be persecuted. The genocide it’s self, would be based on Pol Pot’s ideas to bring Cambodia back to an agrarian society, starting at the year zero. His main goal was to achieve this, romanticized idea of old Cambodia, based on the ancient Cambodian ruins, with all citizens having agrarian farming lives, and being equal to each other. Due to him wanting society to be equal, and agrarian based, the victims would be those that were educated, intellectuals, professionals, and minority ethnic g...
The China today – powerful and ever-growing wasn’t always like this. One major event in history around the mid 1800s that we all have seemed to have forgotten was the Opium Wars. What really caused the opium war was when China wanted to halt all trades about opium with the British.
The contents of the article can be argued as the standard thinking of French communists of the time; however, another view is that this was indication of Pol Pot’s entrance as an elite manipulator. Tactful in his writing, Pol Pot targets King Sihanouk, his policies, and monarchies in general, as opposed to outright criticizing French colonialism in Cambodia. He writes, “The King is absolute. He attempts to destroy the people’s interest when the people are in position of weakness” (Brinkley, 2011, p. 27). On the surface, it appears that Pol Pot has solely condemned the King as an enemy of the Khmer people, their traditional religion and values. Between the lines, however, Pol Pot successfully links the monarch to the presence of French colonizers without explicit
Marks, Stephen P. "Elusive Justice For The Victims Of The Khmer Rouge." Journal Of International Affairs 52.2 (1999): 691. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
There are several ethical issues surrounding the decision by the Hutu politicians to start the genocide. It is unfair and unethical for the Hutus to blame the entire Tutsi tribe for the president’s death. The Hutu politicians are so much driven by hatred that they fail to consider the innocent lives to be lost in the planned genocide. Instead, they organiz...
Pol Pot was born with the name Saloth Sar in 1925 in Cambodia. His family was big on farming and agriculture, and believed that you he must get good grades because Pol Pot’s family was wealthy. Pol Pot went to school in Paris when he was 20 years old on a scholarship for radio electronics. While he was in Paris he was so interested in learning about Marxism and dictatorship that he got too distracted from his studies. This led to him losing his scholarship, and traveling back to Cambodia. Something about authoritarianism was so interesting to Pol Pot. He thought that he could rule the country, or in other words, be in total control of the citizens of Cambodia; because of this, he became apart of an underground communist movement. Ironically, Cambodia gained independence from France, which led to an autocracy by a royal monarchy.
Cambodia has come a long way from its days under French rule and the disastrous rule of the Khmer Rouge. With 14.9 million people living a relativity peaceful and prosperous life, Cambodia still has a long ways to go to join the ranks of world powers. Education has flourished in Cambodia with most its population attending school and have gone on to even higher education. The main goal is to make sure all of its population is literate so they can be active in life. The government is taking an active role to provide the best for its people whether through reform whether through education or elections. It makes sure to never repeat it’s dark past and always have a bright future.
Selth, A (2008). Even Paranoids Have Enemies: Cyclone Nargis and Myanmar's Fears of Invasion. Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International and Strategic Affairs 30.3. pp. 379-402
In Buddhism’s most basic principles, it is understood that all beings have a right to live, life should respected and people should refrain from taking all life. Yet, currently in the country of Myanmar, extreme Buddhist monks are preaching religious superiority and leading a genocide on Myanmar’s minority religious people, especially Muslims, down to the women and children. To make matters worse Myanmar’s governing officials (exclusively Buddhist) have passed laws that assist in the persecution of minorities. There are some local reports that government authorities are tracking down and arresting religious minorities without reason. Then those who are arrested haven’t been seen or heard from since. With the known death toll of Myanmar Muslims and other minority groups increasing and the Myanmar government publicly admitting to “misplacing” huge numbers of people who fall into the religious minority, suspicions that the Myanmar government is assisting in this religious genocide have justifiably