Cambodia
"The worst blow fell in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge (red Khmer) guerrillas under the leadership of Pol Pot overthrew the Khmer Republic and established Democratic Kampuchea." The Khmer Rouge were, at least partially, a reaction to the loss of political power and the social disorder brought on by the regional wars of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as an extreme and localized response to the growing question of Khmer identity in a region dominated and fought over by world powers.Shortly after its independence in 1954, Cambodia felt the pull of the superpowers. The U.S., China, and Vietnam already had significant interests in the country, but Sihanouk, Cambodia's king, maintained control and declared neutrality. China was one of the first countries to send military aid in 1963. China supported Sihanouk publicly throughout his reign as king and president, but radical parties in the government supported the inner circle of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. From the 1950s to the mid 1960s, Cambodia prospered. Modernization, development, and substantial foreign aid flowed in under Sihanouk's rule. As in the past, this success was dependent on the behavior of Cambodia's neighbors and on the policies of m
For those defined as "New People," the total death toll was about 29%, while for all "Old People" it was 16%. All city residents were forced to march into the countryside to work on government farms; leaving factories, schools, and hospitals abandoned. Nationalism and racism have also long marked Cambodian politics. Clearly, those who fit the allowed definition of Khmer suffered somewhat less than members of minorities or groups contaminated by "foreign influence", who bore the wrath of the regime that committed one of the century's worst crimes against humanity. All languages other than Khmer were banned. He was born sometime between 1925 and 1928 in Kompong Thom, in central Cambodia. Uneducated peasants were called "Old People" and made up most of the DK government, while educated Cambodians who were called "New People" were executed or posed as ignorant farmers in order to survive. He is one of the most mysterious and secretive leaders in world history. On New Year's Day, 1975 the Khmer Rouge launched a full attack and after three months of heavy fighting, Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, surrendered. Vietnam had ties with the Soviet Union while Cambodia backed China. The problem between the two nations resulted partly from a growing conflict between the Soviet Union and China. During the war, peasants who joined the Khmer Rouge army rarely knew anything about the group's goals. Khmer culture tends toward respect and fear of authority.
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Acceptance Essays
