Khmer Rouge Genocide

Aside from these economic and political changes, Pol Pot also wanted to create a country where old culture and various other ethnic groups do not exist. Thus, this desire of Pol Pot’s caused one of the bloodiest genocide in history. A majority of the Buddhist people were executed as the religion was not accepted. Lots of teachers and intellectuals were also purged so that no one can oppose Pol Pot’s will. Artists were also executed (as they can create pieces that were influenced by old culture). However, the main target for these purges and mass murders was to eliminate the Vietnamese that lived in Cambodia. During the Vietnam war, Cambodia and Vietnam made an alliance to fend of the American forces from both Cambodia and North Vietnam. During this time period, Cambodia had a growing suspicion that the Vietnamese would son dominate the country and annexed their land. For this reason, during the Khmer Rouge genocide, many Vietnamese people (especially those in power) were purged and executed. All these mass murders and execution, accompanied by the starvation and diseases due to the failed agrarian system, was the cause for the death of 1-3 million people (Cambodia during that time had 8 million people on their land).

Skulls from the executed population are gathered. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/migration_catalog/article5310859.ece/alternates/w620/khmer-rouge-skulls.jpeg

Kher Rouge Era Policies

As the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, it marked the start of major political changes that would leave a mark on the nation. Right after the country was taken over, CPK’s leader, Pol Pot, instantly applied economic and political policies that completely changed  Cambodia, as his belief was very different from the ones that ruled the land before. Pol Pot believed that the most effective way a Cambodia can develop is to focus all efforts to its agriculture section. He believed that an agrarian society ( A country which it prioritizes agriculture) is the way Cambodia can grow. Thus, he implemented a law that requires almost all urban citizens to work in farms, with hopes to drastically boost the agriculture of the country. Furthermore, agriculture was collectivized, meaning all the crops produced needs to be given up to the government, which will then be spread to the population. This leads to numerous problems. First of all, urban citizens are inexperienced with growing crops thus reducing the quality of the crops produced. Second, a collectivized agriculture limits the flow of money within the country, thus income for the people will decrease. Corruption within the government can also further harm the economy. These issues are responsible for Cambodia’s economic decline. It is also one of the major causes for the diseases and starvation that plagued the country during that time, killing lots of the city’s population. 

Below is a picture showing urban citizens forced to work in farms. A guard is seen monitoring their progress. 

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/files/2014/08/520135151407439510-1024x609.jpg&w=1484

Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia

If there was a time where one would point to identify the start of Cambodia's economic decline, it would be on the year of 1975. 1975 is the year where the Communist Party of Kampuchea (Cambodia's communist party) took over all of Cambodia. This happened for a few reasons. Before the communist party took over Cambodia, the country was a republic that was ruled by several leaders. These leaders had a disunity among them and discords were happening between them. This undermined their government, as their major figures did not cooperate well with each other. Furthermore, there as also corruption that kept on spreading during this time. Another major factor that led to the takeover was due to the fact that the U.S, was bombing Phnom Penh (Cambodia's capital city) . This further weakened the government, giving the CPK opportunities to takeover the country, which they eventually did on 1975, and was renamed into the "Democratic Kampuchea" (eventhough it was a communist government that ruled the country). The country was led by Pol Pot, a leader in the CPK, and now the leader of Cambodia.

Below is the flag of the "Democratic Kampuchea" when it was ruled by the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodia

Cambodia is a country located in the southern portion of Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is a country that has been said to improve its economical prowess in the coming years due to tourism and foreign attraction. However, it hasn't always been this way for them. In fact, Cambodia had rough years before they are able to be in the position they are in now. It ranged from starvation and diseases to one of the most bloody genocide the world has ever seen. Among these events also include several economic and political policies that also affect Cambodia in the past . All these events have accumulated and made Cambodia's economy in a state worse than ever before. However, it has also experienced a turning point which changed the course of history for Cambodia. The country's turning point can be pinpointed on 1991, 23 October. This is the day a peace agreement was made that ended a war, which led to the economic reforms that transformed Cambodia.