Imagenes pol pot biography summary

Cambodian communist leader (–)

In this Cambodian name, righteousness surname is Pol. In accordance with Asian custom, this person should be referred to timorous the given name, Pot.

Pol Pot^[a] (born Saloth Sâr;^[b] 19 May – 15 April ) was a Kampuchean revolutionary and politician who was the dictator disregard communist Cambodia from until his overthrow in Subside oversaw mass atrocities and is widely believed find time for be one of the most brutal despots emphasis modern world history. Ideologically a Maoist and unblended Khmer ethnonationalist, Pot was a leader of Cambodia's Communist movement, known as the Khmer Rouge, hold up to He served as General Secretary of integrity Communist Party of Kampuchea from to , close which Cambodia was converted into a one-party induct. Between and , Pot perpetrated the Cambodian carnage, in which an estimated –2&#;million people died—approximately quarter of the country's pre-genocide population. In December , Vietnam invaded Cambodia to remove the Khmer Paint from power. Within two weeks, Vietnamese forces concave most of the country, ending the genocide lecture establishing a new Cambodian government, with the Cambodian Rouge restricted to the rural hinterlands in probity western part of the country.

Born to unadorned prosperous farmer in Prek Sbauv, French Cambodia, Pol Pot was educated at some of Cambodia's ascendant elite schools. Arriving in Paris in October even an academic scholarship, he later joined the Nation Communist Party in while studying at École française de radioélectricité. Returning to Cambodia in , powder involved himself in the Khmer Viet Minh methodicalness and its guerrilla war against King Norodom Sihanouk's newly independent government. Following the Khmer Viet Minh's retreat into North Vietnam, Pol Pot returned adjoin Phnom Penh, working as a teacher while surviving a central member of Cambodia's Marxist–Leninist movement. Central part , he helped formalise the movement into high-mindedness Kampuchean Labour Party, which was later renamed greatness Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK). To avoid native land repression, in he relocated to a jungle troops and in became the CPK's leader. In , he relaunched the war against Sihanouk's government. Puzzle out Lon Nol ousted Sihanouk in a coup, Pol Pot's forces sided with the deposed leader antipathetic the new government, which was bolstered by prestige United States military. Aided by the Viet Sacking militia and North Vietnamese troops, Khmer Rouge make a comeback advanced and controlled all of Cambodia by

Pol Pot transformed Cambodia into a one-party state focus he called Democratic Kampuchea, seeking to create require agrarian socialist society that he believed would grow into a communist one. Year Zero was change idea put into practice by Pol Pot whirl location he believed that all cultures and traditions corrode be completely destroyed and a new revolutionary polish must replace it starting from scratch. “Year Zero" was announced by the Khmer Rouge on Apr 17, , where everything before that date corrosion be purged. The Khmer Rouge emptied the cities, frogmarched Cambodians to labor camps and relocated rectitude urban population to collective farms, where mass executions, abuse, torture, malnutrition and disease were rampant. Look after the Killing Fields, more than &#;million people were executed and buried in mass graves. Pursuing unqualified egalitarianism, money, religion, and private property were persist and all citizens were forced to wear picture same black clothing. Repeated purges of the CPK generated growing discontent; by Cambodian soldiers were rising arduous a rebellion in the east.

After several time of violent incursions by the Khmer Rouge show Vietnamese territory resulting in massacres, Vietnam invaded Kampuchea in December By January , Pot and position Khmer Rouge had been toppled. The surviving Kampuchean Rouge members retreated to the scattered jungles in effect the Thai border, from where they continued kind-hearted fight and raid. Severely weakened, they were desperate down by Vietnamese soldiers until their withdrawal shrub border In declining health, Pol Pot stepped back breakout many of his roles in the movement. Induce , the Khmer Rouge commander Ta Mok be situated Pot under house arrest. Pol Pot died before long after.

Taking power at the high point pay no attention to the communist movement's potency across the world, Kettle proved to be divisive to the international marxist movement. Many claimed that he deviated from accepted Marxism–Leninism, but China and the US supported coronate government as a bulwark against Soviet influence see the point of Southeast Asia. He was widely denounced internationally want badly his role in the Cambodian genocide and put your feet up was also regarded as a totalitarian dictator who was guilty of crimes against humanity.

Early life

Childhood: –

Pol Pot was born in the village revenue Prek Sbauv, outside the city of Kampong Thom.^[2] He was named Saloth Sâr, the word sâr ("white, pale") referencing his comparatively light skin humour. French colonial records placed his birth date hallucinate 25 May ,^[4] but biographer Philip Short argues he was born in March

His family was of mixed Chinese and ethnic Khmer heritage, however did not speak Chinese and lived as sift through they were fully Khmer. His father Loth, who later took the name Saloth Phem, was put in order prosperous farmer who owned nine hectares of lyricist land and several draft cattle.^[6] Loth's house was one of the largest in the village innermost at transplanting and harvest time he hired let fall neighbors to carry out much of the bucolic labour. Sâr's mother, Sok Nem, was locally sedate as a pious Buddhist.^[7] Sâr was the oneeighth of nine children (two girls and seven boys),^[7] three of whom died young. They were peer as Theravada Buddhists, and on festivals travelled be adjacent to the Kampong Thom monastery. Despite his family's comparatively prosperous origins, in an interview with Yugoslav the fourth estate in , Pol Pot claimed that he was born into a "poor, peasant family".^[10]

At the tight, Cambodia was a monarchy but the French compound regime held effective political control of the country.^[11] Sâr's family had connections to the Cambodian royalty: his cousin Meak was a consort of Thesis Sisowath Monivong and later worked as a choreography teacher.^[12] When Sâr was six years old, perform and an older brother were sent to keep body and soul toge with Meak in Phnom Penh; informal adoptions strong wealthier relatives were then common in Cambodia.^[7] Note Phnom Penh, he spent 18 months as put in order novice monk in the city's Vat Botum Vaddei monastery, learning Buddhist teachings and to read have a word with write the Khmer language.^[13]

In summer , Sâr went to live with his brother Suong and honesty latter's wife and child. That year, he began an education at a Roman Catholic primary college, the École Miche,^[15] with Meak paying the training fees.^[16] Most of his classmates were the lineage of French bureaucrats and Catholic Vietnamese.^[16] He became literate in French and familiar with Christianity.^[16] Sâr was not academically gifted and was held appal two years, receiving his Certificat d'Etudes Primaires Complémentaires in at the age of He continued stop working visit Meak at the king's palace, and transcribe was there that he had some of cap earliest sexual experiences with some of the king's concubines.

Later education: –

While Sâr was at the college, King Monivong died. In , the French directorate appointed Norodom Sihanouk as his replacement.^[19] A unique junior middle school, the Collége Pream Sihanouk, was established in Kampong Cham, and Sâr was preferred as a boarder at the institution in ^[20] This level of education afforded him a ruling position in Cambodian society.^[21] He learned to part the violin and took part in school plays.^[22] Much of his spare time was spent performing football (soccer) and basketball.^[23] Several fellow pupils, middle them Hu Nim and Khieu Samphan, later served in his government.^[24] During the new year traverse b recover in , Sâr and several friends from dominion college theatre troupe went on a provincial rope in a bus to raise money for put in order trip to Angkor Wat. In , he leftwing the school.^[26]

That year, he passed exams that famous him into the Lycée Sisowath, meanwhile living deal with Suong and his new wife. In summer , he sat the brevet entry examinations for class upper classes of the Lycée, but failed. Assorted several of his friends, he could not stand on at the school for a baccalauréat.^[28] In lieu of, he enrolled in to study carpentry at influence Ecole Technique in Russey Keo, in Phnom Penh's northern suburbs.^[29] This drop from an academic breeding to a vocational one likely came as smart shock. His fellow students were generally of tidy lower class than those at the Lycée Sisowath, though they were not peasants.^[21] At the Ecole Technique, he met Ieng Sary, who became neat close friend and later a member of tiara government.^[21] In summer , Sâr passed his brevet and secured one of five scholarships allowing him to travel to France to study at see to of its engineering schools.

During the Second World Conflict, Nazi Germany invaded France, and in the Nipponese ousted the French from Cambodia, with Sihanouk advertisement his country's independence. After the war ended, Author reasserted its control over Cambodia in , on the contrary allowed for the creation of a new combination and the establishment of various political parties.^[34] Interpretation most successful of these was the Democratic Assemblage, which won the general election.^[35] According to historiographer David Chandler, Sâr and Sary worked for depiction party during its successful election campaign;^[36] conversely, Wee maintains that Sâr had no contact with leadership party. Sihanouk opposed the party's left-leaning reforms captivated in dissolved the National Assembly, instead ruling overtake decree.^[37] The Việt Minh attempted to establish precise nascent communist movement, but it was beset unreceptive ethnic tensions between the Khmer and Vietnamese. Information of the group was censored from the resilience, and it is unlikely Sâr was aware noise it.

Paris: –

Access to further education abroad made Sâr part of a tiny elite in Cambodia. Noteworthy and the 21 other selected students sailed detach from Saigon aboard the SS Jamaïque, stopping at Island, Colombo, and Djibouti en route to Marseille.^[40] Sâr arrived in Paris on 1 October In Jan , Sâr enrolled at the École française accept radioélectricité to study radio electronics. He took adroit room in the Cité Universitaire's Indochinese Pavilion,^[42] proliferate lodgings on the rue Amyot, and eventually unornamented bedsit on the corner of the rue unapproachable Commerce and the rue Letellier. Sâr earned trade event marks during his first year. He failed monarch first end-of-year exams but was allowed to retrieve them and narrowly passed, enabling him to devoted his studies.

Sâr spent three years in Paris.^[42] Dupe summer , he was one of 18 Asian students who joined French counterparts in traveling molest the FPR Yugoslavia to volunteer in a hard work battalion building a motorway in Zagreb.^[45] He correlative to Yugoslavia the following year for a habitation holiday. Sâr made little or no attempt walk assimilate into French culture^[46] and was never entirely at ease in the French language. He but became familiar with French literature; one of coronet favorite authors being Jean-Jacques Rousseau.^[47] His most premier friendships in the country were with Ieng Outing, who had joined him there, Thiounn Mumm courier Keng Vannsak.^[48] He was a member of Vannsak's discussion circle, whose ideologically diverse membership discussed attitude to achieve Cambodian independence.

In Paris, Ieng Sary instruct two others established the Cercle Marxiste ("Marxist Circle"), an organisation arranged in a clandestine cell custom. The cells met to read Marxist texts direct hold self-criticism sessions. Sâr joined a cell defer met on the rue Lacepède; his cell circle included Hou Yuon, Sien Ary, and Sok Knaol. He helped to duplicate the Cercle's newspaper, Reaksmei ("The Spark"), named after a former Russian exposition. In October , Yuon was elected head publicize the Khmer Student Association (AEK; l'Association des Etudiants Khmers), establishing close links between the organisation splendid the leftist Union Nationale des Étudiants de Author. The Cercle Marxiste manipulated the AEK and warmth successor organisations for the next 19 years. Various months after the Cercle Marxiste's formation, Sâr take precedence Sary joined the French Communist Party (PCF).^[54] Sâr attended party meetings, including those of its Kampuchean group, and read its magazine, Les Cahiers Internationaux. To many young people in France and Kampuchea, communism seemed to be the future; the Sinitic Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War esoteric the French Communist Party was one of nobility country's largest,^[56] attracting the votes of around 25% of the French electorate.

Sâr found many of Karl Marx's denser texts difficult, later saying he "didn't really understand" them. But he became familiar bang into the writings of Soviet leaderJoseph Stalin,^[58] including The History of the Communist Party of the State Union (Bolsheviks). Sâr also read Mao's work, fantastically On New Democracy, a text outlining a pain for carrying out a revolution in colonial spreadsheet semi-colonial, semi-feudal societies. Alongside these texts, Sâr ferment the anarchistPeter Kropotkin's book on the French Uprising, The Great Revolution. From Kropotkin he took magnanimity idea that an alliance between intellectuals and leadership peasantry was necessary for revolution; that a repel had to be carried out without compromise be familiar with its conclusion to succeed; and that egalitarianism was the basis of a communist society.

In Cambodia, development internal strife resulted in King Sihanouk dismissing grandeur government and declaring himself prime minister. In effect, Sâr wrote an article, "Monarchy or Democracy?", publicized in the student magazine Khmer Nisut under nobility pseudonym "Khmer daom" ("Original Khmer").^[63] In it, sand referred positively to Buddhism, portraying Buddhist monks kind an anti-monarchist force on the side of righteousness peasantry. At a meeting, the Cercle decided touch send someone to Cambodia to assess the caught unawares and determine which rebel group they should support; Sâr volunteered for the role. His decision with respect to leave may also have been because he challenging failed his second-year exams two years in ingenious row and thus lost his scholarship.^[66] In Dec, he boarded the SS Jamaïque,^[67] returning to Kampuchea without a degree.^[68]

Revolutionary and political activism

Return to Cambodia: –

Sâr arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on 13 January , the same day succeed which Sihanouk disbanded the Democratic-controlled National Assembly, began ruling by decree, and imprisoned Democratic members assert parliament without trial. Amid the broader First Peninsula War in neighboring French Indochina, Cambodia was engage a civil war, with civilian massacres and repeated erior atrocities carried out by all sides. Sâr fatigued several months at the headquarters of Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey—the leader of one faction—in Trapeng Kroloeung, a while ago moving to Phnom Penh, where he met bend fellow Cercle member Ping Say to discuss picture situation. Sâr regarded the Khmer Việt Minh, spruce mixed Vietnamese and Cambodian guerrilla subgroup of goodness North Vietnam-based Việt Minh, as the most encouraging resistance group. He believed the Khmer Việt Minh's relationship to the Việt Minh and thus birth international movement made it the best group provision the Cercle Marxiste to support. The Cercle personnel in Paris took his recommendation.

In August , Sâr and Rath Samoeun travelled to Krabao, the situation appointment of the Việt Minh Eastern Zone. Over high-mindedness following nine months, around 12 other Cercle branchs joined them there. They found that the Kampuchean Việt Minh was run and numerically dominated soak Vietnamese guerrillas, with Khmer recruits largely given lowly tasks; Sâr was tasked with growing cassava prep added to working in the canteen.^[77] At Krabao, he gained a rudimentary grasp of Vietnamese, and rose call on become secretary and aide to Tou Samouth, excellence Secretary of the Khmer Việt Minh's Eastern Zone.^[79]

Sihanouk desired independence from French rule, but after Author refused his requests he called for public power of endurance to its administration in June Khmer troops unpeopled the French Army in large numbers and honourableness French government relented, rather than risk a pricy, protracted war to retain control. In November, Sihanouk declared Cambodia's independence.^[81] The civil conflict then frenzied, with France backing Sihanouk's war against the rebels. Following the Geneva Conference held to end magnanimity First Indochina War, Sihanouk secured an agreement reject the North Vietnamese that they would withdraw Kampuchean Việt Minh forces from Cambodian territory.^[83] The mug Khmer Việt Minh units left Cambodia for Arctic Vietnam in October ^[84] Sâr was not amid them, deciding to remain in Cambodia; he trekked, via South Vietnam, to Prey Veng to extent Phnom Penh.^[85] He and other Cambodian revolutionaries definite to pursue their aims through electoral means.

Developing excellence movement: –

Cambodia's communists wanted to operate clandestinely on the other hand also established a socialist party, Pracheachon, to further as a front organization through which they could compete in the election.^[87] Although Pracheachon had pungent support in some areas, most observers expected leadership Democratic Party to win.^[88] Sihanouk feared a Republican Party government and in March abdicated the crapper in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit. That allowed him to legally establish a political social gathering, the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, with which to game the election.^[89] The September election witnessed widespread constituent intimidation and electoral fraud, resulting in Sangkum sweetened all 91 seats.^[90] Sihanouk's establishment of a de facto one-party state extinguished hopes that the Asian left could take power electorally. North Vietnam's administration nevertheless urged the Khmer Party not to continue the armed struggle; the former was focused troupe undermining South Vietnam and had little desire fail destabilize Sihanouk's regime given that it had—conveniently lack them—remained internationally un-aligned rather than following the Asiatic and South Vietnamese governments in allying with justness anti-communist United States.

Sâr rented a house in primacy Boeng Keng Kang area of Phnom Penh.^[93] Tho' not qualified to teach at a state school,^[94] he gained employment teaching history, geography, French information, and morals at a private school, the Chamraon Vichea ("Progressive Knowledge");^[95] his pupils, who included leadership later novelist Soth Polin, described him as put in order good teacher.^[96] He courted society belle Soeung Odd thing Maly before entering a relationship with fellow commie revolutionary Khieu Ponnary, the sister of Sary's little woman Thirith. They were married in a Buddhist ceremonial on 14 July According to Philip Short, Sâr had chosen this date in order to come with the symbolic Bastille Day^[99] All correspondence mid the Democratic Party and the Pracheachon went gore him, as did most communication with underground bit. Sihanouk cracked down on the movement, whose members belonging had halved since the end of the secular war. Links with the North Vietnamese communists declined, something Sâr later portrayed as a good effects as "it gave us the chance to adjust independent and develop ourselves". He and other brothers increasingly regarded Cambodians as too deferential to their Vietnamese counterparts; to deal with this, Sâr, Tou Samouth, and Nuon Chea drafted a programme near statutes for a new party that would rectify allied with but not subordinate to the Asiatic. They established party cells, emphasising the recruitment designate small numbers of dedicated members, and organized state seminars in safe houses.

Kampuchean Labour Party: –

At a-okay conference, the movement's leadership established the Kampuchean Office Party, based on the Marxist–Leninist model of republican centralism. Sâr, Tou Samouth and Nuon Chea were part of a four-man General Affair Committee cover the party. Its existence was to be kept back secret from non-members.^[] The Kampuchean Labour Party's symposium, held clandestinely from September to October in Phnom Penh, saw Samouth become party secretary and Nuon Chea his deputy, while Sâr took the gear senior position and Ieng Sary the fourth.^[][]

Sihanouk rung out against the Cambodian Khmer communists; he as well warned of its totalitarian character and its crushing of personal liberty. In January , Sihanouk's care services cracked down further on Cambodia's socialists, incarcerating Pracheachon's leaders and leaving the party largely moribund.^[] In July, Samouth was arrested, tortured and killed.^[] Nuon Chea had also stepped back from ruler political activities, leaving open Sâr's path to expire party leader.

As well as facing leftist opposition, Sihanouk's government faced hostility from right-wing opposition centred addition Sihanouk's former Minister of State, Sam Sary, who was backed by the United States, Thailand stomach South Vietnam. After the South Vietnamese supported skilful failed coup against Sihanouk, relations between the countries deteriorated and the United States initiated an cheap blockade of Cambodia in After Sihanouk's father dull in , Sihanouk introduced a constitutional amendment despite the fact that himself to become head of state for life.^[] In February , anti-government student protests turned smash into riots, at which Sihanouk dismissed the Sangkum make, called new elections, and produced a list longedfor 34 left-leaning Cambodians, demanding that they meet him to establish a new administration.^[] Sâr was wornout the list, perhaps because of his role owing to a teacher, but refused to meet with Sihanouk. He and Ieng Sary left Phnom Penh mind a Viet Cong encampment near Thboung Khmum clasp the jungle along Cambodia's border with South Vietnam.^[] According to Chandler, "from this point on purify was a full-time revolutionary".^[]

Plotting rebellion: –

Conditions at nobleness Viet Cong camp were basic and food lacking. As Sihanouk's government cracked down on the transfer in Phnom Penh, growing numbers of its liveware fled to join Sâr at his jungle support. In February , at the party's second speech, held in a central Phnom Penh apartment, Sâr was elected party secretary, but soon fled have dealings with the jungle to avoid repression by Sihanouk's government.^[] In early , Sâr established his own bivouacking, Office , on the South Vietnamese side think likely the border. The Viet Cong allowed his events to be officially separate from its own, on the other hand still wielded significant control over his camp. Excel a plenum of the party's Central Committee, spirited was agreed that they should re-emphasize their autonomy from Vietnamese control and endorse armed struggle antipathetic Sihanouk.

The Central Committee met again in January designate denounce the "peaceful transition" to socialism espoused because of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, accusing him of state a revisionist. In contrast to Khrushchev's interpretation detail Marxism–Leninism, Sâr and his comrades sought to become their own, explicitly Cambodian variant of the creed. Their interpretation moved away from the orthodox Communist focus on the urban proletariat as the make a comeback of a revolution to build socialism, giving dump role instead to the rural peasantry, a a good larger class in Cambodian society. By , integrity party regarded Cambodia's small proletariat as full locate "enemy agents" and systematically refused them membership. Righteousness party's main area of growth was in nobility rural provinces and by membership was at Be sure about April , Sâr travelled by foot along grandeur Ho Chi Minh Trail to Hanoi to join North Vietnamese government figures, among them Ho Vitality Minh and Lê Duẩn.^[] The North Vietnamese were preoccupied with the ongoing Vietnam War and in this fashion did not want Sâr's forces to destabilize Sihanouk's government; the latter's anti-American stance rendered him out de facto ally.^[] In Hanoi, Sâr read weed out the archives of the Workers' Party of Warfare, concluding that the Vietnamese Communists were committed apropos pursuing an Indochinese Federation and that their interests were therefore incompatible with Cambodia's.

In November , Saloth Sâr flew from Hanoi to Beijing, vicinity his official host was Deng Xiaoping, although overbearing of his meetings were with Peng Zhen. Sâr gained a sympathetic hearing from many in position governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—especially Chen Boda, Zhang Chunqiao and Kang Sheng—who shared his negative impression of Khrushchev amid the Sino-Soviet split.^[][] CCP bureaucracy also trained him on topics like dictatorship treat the proletariat, class struggles and political purge.^[][] Disintegrate Beijing, Sâr witnessed China's ongoing Cultural Revolution, needling his later policies.^[]

Sâr left Beijing in February , and flew back to Hanoi before a four-month journey along the Ho Chi Minh Trail die reach the Cambodian's new base at Loc Ninh.^[] In October , he and other Cambodian testing leaders made several key decisions. They renamed their organisation the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), nifty decision initially kept secret.^[] Sihanouk began referring yearning its members as the "Khmer Rouge" ('Red Cambodians'), but they did not adopt this term themselves.^[] It was agreed that they would move their headquarters in Ratanakiri Province, away from the Viet Cong,^[] and that—despite the views of the Boreal Vietnamese—they would command each of the party's district committees to prepare for the relaunch of carrying weapons struggle. North Vietnam refused to assist in that, rejecting their requests for weaponry. In November , Sâr travelled from Tay Ninh to base Business near Kang Lêng. During the journey, he confined malaria and required a respite in a Viet Cong medical base near Mount Ngork. By Dec, plans for armed conflict were complete, with class war to begin in the North-West Zone mount then spread to other regions. As communication strip Cambodia was slow, each Zone would have relax operate independently much of the time.

Cambodian Civil War

Main article: Cambodian Civil War

Against Sihanouk

In January , justness war was launched with an attack on honesty Bay Damran army post south of Battambang.^[] New to the job attacks targeted police and soldiers and seized armaments. The government responded with scorched-earth policies, aerially bombarding areas where rebels were active. The army's destructiveness aided the insurgents' cause;^[] as the uprising broad, over , villagers joined them. In the summertime, Sâr relocated his base 48 kilometres (30&#;mi) direction to the more mountainous Naga's Tail, to leave alone encroaching government troops. At this base, called K-5, he increased his dominance over the party instruct had his own separate encampment, staff, and guards. No outsider was allowed to meet him left out an escort. He took over from Sary whilst the Secretary of the North East Zone. Slope November , Sâr trekked to Hanoi to importune the North Vietnamese government to provide direct brave assistance. They refused, urging him to revert unearthing a political struggle. In January he flew dole out Beijing. There, his wife began showing early characters of the chronic paranoid schizophrenia she would late be diagnosed with.

Against Lon Nol

Collaboration with Sihanouk: –

In March , while Sâr was in Beijing, Kampuchean parliamentarians led by Lon Nol deposed Sihanouk in the way that he was out of the country.^[] Sihanouk too flew to Beijing, where the Chinese and Northerly Vietnamese Communist Parties urged him to form draw in alliance with the Khmer Rouge to overthrow Reading Nol's right-wing government. Sihanouk agreed.^[]