Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge – Part I: Politics of power and terror

When in 1975 the Khmer Rouge seized power, the Cambodian population, tired of Lon Nol and the bloody civil war, welcomed the soldiers with open arms. Little did they know, it was the beginning of something worse. The Khmer Rouge is responsible for a period much more serious and harsher than the civil war. Cambodians had to face famine and the danger of being tortured and executed in interrogation centers such as Tuol Sleng. The black pages of the rise of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot are investigated in this graphic film, featuring David Chandler, Nate Thayer and Francois Bizot. Historic Relevance Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953 and was ruled by Norodom Sihanouk until 1970, when he fell victim to a coup organized by Prime Minister and others. Lon Nol became the head of state and a guerrilla conflict began. Despite support by U.S. military forces and the government of South Vietnam, he was ultimately forced to cede power to the guerrillas and their leader, Pol Pot. The Khmer Rouge, officialy called The Communist Party of Kampuchea, carried out a radical program from April 17, 1975 till January 1979 and caused a genocide. Political Relevance In 1975 the Khmer Rouge, originated from the Indochinese Communist Party and Peoples Revolutionary Party, seized power in Cambodia. Revolutionary Pol Pot became the leader of the party. In power, the Khmer Rouge carried out a radical program that included minimizing foreign influence, closing schools, hospitals and factories, abolishing banking, finance and currency, outlawing all religions, confiscating private property and relocating people from urban areas to collective farms. The Khmer Rouge retreated to the Western area of the country after the 1979 Vietnamese invasion. The inevitable implosion of the Khmer Rouge was completed with Pol Pots arrest in 1997. Hun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia and leader of the Cambodian People’s Party .