He was known in the khmer communist party as brother number one and adopted the name pol pot in 1970, derived from the french phrase politique potentielle potential politics a form of extremist communism he believed in and the name the chinese supposedly gave to him. Pol pot, 192598, cambodian political leader, originally named saloth sar. The 1978 interview with democratic kampucheas brother number one turned out to be a onesided affair, which dudman described in a 2015 article for the postdispatch. By 1975 their numbers were enough to defeat the government forces. This ended lon nols rule and began the fiveyear reign of the khmer rouge. At some stage in his life, he reacted against the subservience and quietude of.
Pol pot, original name saloth sar, born may 19, 1925, kompong thom province, cambodiadied april 15, 1998, near anlong veng, along the cambodiathailand border, khmer political leader who led the khmer rouge totalitarian regime 197579 in cambodia that imposed severe hardships on the. This article attempts to shed additional light on one of the most sensitive aspects of chinas cold war legacy its support for pol pots democratic kampuchea dk between april 1975 and. By implementing policies whose effects were genocidal, he oversaw the deaths of more than one million of his nations people. However, rural debt was common, and the number of landless tenants or sharecroppers increased from 4% of the farming population in 1950 to 20% in 1970. He spoke in a quiet monotone, he said of pol pot, whose handshake he found unnerving.
He was the leader of a group called the khmer rouge, a group of peasant revolutionaries who turned cambodia into a military dictatorship officially called democratic kampuchea. A political biography of pol pot by david p chandler. Pol pot, pol pot, 1928, pol pot, prime ministers, politics and government, prime ministers. Twenty years after pol pot died a broken man, his memory. I was seven when pol pot was toppled a few years later, and the ghastly images of the killing fields made a strong impression on me. A new constitution was adapted on january 5, 1976, officially altering the countrys name to. Pariseducated, and a khmer communist leader from 1960, he led khmer rouge guerrillas against the government of lon nol after 1970. Pol pot the future khmer rouge leader returned to cambodia in 1953.
Pol pot s key allies took the other two positions, with nuon chea as president of the standing committee of the national assembly and khieu samphan as the head of state. Alternatively, pol may have referred to the pol tribe who were. David chandler has given us an absorbing and authoritative portrait of brother number one and a fascinating insight into cambodias cruel history. Many key leaders have died without facing justice, including brother number one pol pot who died in 1998.
Pol pot simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The sheer scale of the horror that he unleashed can never be justified. Evolution of the academic debate on april 7, 1975, khmer rouge revolutionary forces invaded and took control of the capital city of phnom penh, cambodia. Pdf pol pot is one twentieth century leader with a specific place in history as the orchestrator of one of that centurys many significant. Chandler is both highly relevant and interesting in view of the political importance of pol pot, or saloth sat, which is his real name, in cambodian society during the last 25 years or so. Brother number one david p chandler ebok 9780429970535. Pol pot transformed cambodia into a oneparty state called democratic kampuchea. Download pdf brother number one free usakochan pdf. Pol pot was a cambodian revolutionary and politician who governed cambodia as the prime. W e contextualise the agency of the movement s leader, pol pot, the man who led the clique that tried to. It was also senseless with regard to its aim and method.
Pol pots righthand man, the notorious brother number two, sambath and codirector rob lemkin record shocking testimony never before seen or heard, in enemies of the people. January 25, 1925 april 15, 1998 was the leader of cambodia between 1975 and 1979. Chandler throws light on the shadowy figure of pol pot. In the tragic recent history of cambodiaa past scarred by a lon. On sars time in france, see david chandler, brother number one. He added he had no idea what his sibling had become until he saw a poster of brother number one pol pots title as leader of the khmer rouge hung up at his work collective. But pol pot was hardly a lone wolf, and his brother number two, nuon chea, and head of state, khieu samphan, have since been convicted of crimes against humanity, as has s21 prison operator kaing guek eav, better known as duch. Led by brother number one pol pot, the khmer rouge conducted a hellish communist experimenta super great leap forward that killed an estimated 1. Driven into hiding in 1979 by invading vietnamese forces, pol pot maintained his leadership of a khmer rouge guerrilla army in exile, remaining a power and a threat. Chandler and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Even now, as the khmer rouge take their controversial place in the new coalition government, pol pot likely continues to be a hidden force.
According to one source, pol pot comes from the french words politique potentielle. Ieng sary, sometimes referred to as brother number 3 in the khmer rouge regime, began his association with pol pot while they studied together in france. A political biography of pol pot 97808335100 by chandler, david p and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. It is my honor to present the second edition of genderbased violence during the khmer rouge regime. The new data have altered the chronological outlines of pol pots life by making it four years longer, as i now prefer the birthdate of 1925 to the 1928 one i had supported in the first edition. How a brutal khmer rouge leader died not guilty the. During the dk era, which lasted until 1979, an estimated one million cambodians, or one out ofeight, died as aresultofmalnutrition, disease, overwork, or deliberate execution. Yale university press, and philip short 2005 pol pot. As a part of gender studies course at pannasastra university of cambodia, instructed by the author, approximately 200.
Estimated 2 million killed by khmer rouge in fouryear genocide in 1975 the khmer rouge triumphed over the usbacked republican army of lon nol sparking four years of a genocidal communist revolution. War reporter dudman, one of few westerners to meet pol pot. Sary was also related to pol pot by marriage when he wed khieu thirith, the sister of pol pots wife. Brother number one written by david chandler, one of the foremost academics on pol pots regime is a good short 200 page introduction to the various influences on the 1975 to 1979 period.
Pol pots regime is a shame for western intelligentsia, because some of his cronies khieu samphan studied like pol pot at western universities. Distinguishing themes of genocidal ideology at the killing fields memorial near phnom penh, shelves filled. This edition added more information on genderbased violence during the khmer rouge regime by the younger generation. Chandler in his political biography of pol pot entitled brother number one, pol pot or saloth sar belonged among the visionary leaders of cambodian history a history filled with prolonged exploitations by foreign powers from near and far. A political biography of pol pot david p chandler limited. This terrible biography is a reminder of the deadly dangers of utopian doctrines, if they can be implemented by a totally convinced individual who possesses a dictatorial power in a single ountry.
Pol pot s regime is a shame for western intelligentsia, because some of his cronies khieu samphan studied like pol pot at western universities. Cambodian war crimes court says khmer rouge committed. As the commander of the deadly khmer rouge, he orchestrated the genocide perpetrated in cambodia between 1974 and 1979, in which 1. When pol pot was six years old, he and an older brother were sent to live with. As always, no one is ever quite sure what pol pot thought as he only gave an enigmatic smile hiding his real thinking underneath. Brother number one a political biography of pol pot taylor. In august 2014, nuon chea considered brother number 2 to pol pot and the regimes head of state khieu samphan were jailed for life for crimes against humanity. It begins from early in the 1920s and traces quickly through the main influences on pol pots life. The sorbonne, khieu samphan, and the pol pot international. Their victory was greatly helped by the american attack on cambodia, which was carried out as an extension of the vietnam war. List of books and articles about pol pot online research.
Sary fled to the jungles of cambodia with pol pot to escape persecution. Pol pot is one twentieth century leader with a specific place in history as the orchestrator of one of that centurys many significant genocides. The khmer rouge regime remained in power for the next four years, causing destruction, violence, torture, and death to devastate the citizens of cambodia. Chandler 2000 brother number one, a political biography of pol pot. It was at this point that he took on the public pseudonym of pol pot, as no one in the country knew who this was, a fictitious biography was presented. Linkpage citation the subject dealt with in this book by david p. Cambodian head of state pol pot was the leader of the khmer rouge regime, which was responsible for the deaths of more than one million people through execution, starvation or overwork between. From 197578, during the reign of terror by the brutal khmer rouge in cambodia, more than one million people died as a result of ideologically driven. Pol pot, the cambodian revolutionary leader of the khmer rouge served as the general secretary of the communist party of kampuchea. Most americans know cambodia only through the depiction of the dk period in the 1986 film the killing fields. Pol pot wanted to be judged by history, as his interview with nate thayer in october 1997 makes clear. His regime is regarded as one of the bloodiest in the annals of the twentieth century. One of his brothers, saloth neap, once described pol pot as a gentle and kind child.
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