Cambodian GenocideBy Adam Personette and Michael Vilar

What was the Cambodian Genocide?

The Cambodian Genocide refers to the attempt in 1975-1978 of Khmer Rouge party, “Pol Pot” leader to nationalize and centralize the peasant farming society of Cambodia virtually overnight, in accordance with the Chinese Communist agricultural model. This resulted in the gradual devastation of over 25% of the country’s population in just three years.

Eight Stages of Genocide

● Classification● Symbolization● Dehumanization● Organization● Polarization● Preparation● Extermination● Denial

classification

Classification is when a group identifies another group as lower and usually uses them as a scapegot

Pol Pot and others in the Khmer Rouge believed that western tainted their way of life and anyone influenced by it was ruining their nation and must be stopped to preserve their idea of a “utopian society” (people with religion, intellectuals, and ethnic minorities)

Symbolization

how to easily identify those who are being target in said genocide

Symbols that were used were used were religious symbols, glasses (glasses meant you could read and were therefore a class enemy), and living in the city

Dehumanization

When the people in charge during a genocide do everything to make the people targeted seem “un-human”

Described the people as “animals, vermen, insects, disease and tumors” and always referred to them as “others”

Organization● Evacuation of Phnom Penh

● Distribution of "old people" and "new people" into work collectives: Old people were the peasant class and new people were city dwellers. The KR gave preferential treatment to the "old people".

● Separation of families● Separation of children and adults

Processing city-dwellers and asking them to provide autobiographies in order to document their class ba

● ckground● Documentation and photographs of prisoners at

Tuol Sleng

Polarization

● Base People versus New People -- As noted by several scholars, new people often received fewer rations and more physically strenuous work assignments

● Us versus the Enemy -- The Khmer Rouge deemed anyone suspected of being a threat to their ideology as an "enemy." This included intellectuals, city-dwellers, anyone with ties to the West, religious leaders, and ethnic minorities.

PreperationThe Khmer Rouge was secretive from the very start. They had an agenda that did included the eradication of Vietnamese Communists in Cambodia, yet they relied on them as allies. In preparation, the KR in Cambodia secretly killed off Cambodians that had been trained by the North Vietnamese communists. They were also forced to remain low key because they were violently attacked by Sihanouk's government. Ironically, after his exile, he would join forces with the KR

Extermination

The final step where the target group is executed in mass

The soldiers would take the prisoners and kill them, but not before torturing them in very brutal ways (too brutal to discuss in school)

Denial

Denial is the final stage where those who participated in the genocide either deny it’s happening, or tries to justify it

The people of Cambodia denied the genocide happened, despite the mass graves being excavated, and evidence found after being taken over by vietnam

Global Reaction

“America cannot avoid the responsibility to speak out in condemnation of the Cambodian government, the worst violator of human rights in the world today. Thousands of refugees have accused their government of inflicting death on hundreds of thousands of Cambodian people through the genocidal policies is has implemented over the past three years...It is in obligation of every member of the international community to protest the policies of this or any nation which cruelly and systematically violates the right of its people to enjoy life and basic human dignities. “ - President carter

Photos

Survivor’s story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi2TcA8P0QE

Works Cited

Website Title: World Without Genocide - Working to create a World Without Genocide

"Processes - Anatomy of a Genocide: Cambodia." Processes - Anatomy of a Genocide: Cambodia. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2014.

"Stage 1 - Classification - Anatomy of a Genocide: Cambodia." Stage 1 - Classification - Anatomy of a Genocide: Cambodia.

N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2014.

"Stage 3 - Dehumanization - Anatomy of a Genocide: Cambodia." Stage 3 - Dehumanization - Anatomy of a Genocide:

Cambodia. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2014.