The history of many countries of the world includes dictators, whose period of rule was reflected in mass executions and dramatic changes in the country. The universally recognized standard of this phenomenon is Adolf Hitler. However, in the Asian world there is its analogue. This is Pol Pot.
General information
He was Secretary General of the Communist Party in Cambodia (then Kampuchea) during the period 1963-1979. The dictator Pol Pot inflicted great damage on his country. In just 3 years of his reign, the 10 millionth state population has declined by a quarter. About 4 million people died due to his actions.
About Merit
Having established his regime in Cambodia, Pol Pot set a clear goal - to destroy the traditional culture along with its social groups. According to this logic, his associates should have started with themselves, but they did not.
As the ideological successor of Stalinism, Pol Pot began his rule by establishing a strict hierarchical vertical in power, executing those who were able to unite in order to oppose the regime.
The national question was solved by radical methods - representatives of many nationalities living in the country (except for the Khmers Paul Pot) were executed. The dictator evicted from the capital city of Phnom Penh about 90% of its population. All who protested, Pol Pot executed. Then a wave of similar procedures began in all other cities. At the same time, evicted citizens with extreme negativity were received by the inhabitants of the jungle.
By order of Paul Pot, the country got rid of everything related to the “white civilization”. Even cars and electrical appliances got here. They were massively destroyed, digging equipment into the ground, destroying vehicles. During the reign of Paul Pot, money was canceled. In the capital, the Central Bank was blown up, fertilizers were stored there. Monks were executed, all religious objects were destroyed. In the country, Pol Pot destroyed all Christians and Muslims.
Often in the role of executioners were minor boys. There are cases when children from 7 years old were officially recruited. For revelation of "enemies of the people" the children relied on a reward for 1 cartridge.
During his atrocities, Pol Pot declared all women public property. All sexual relations were committed by order of the party. It is noteworthy that the daughter of Pol Pot himself grew up. Schools were destroyed, many textbooks destroyed. During the period of the Pol Pot regime, the books from the country mainly left the works of Karl Marx.
The communes, which were organized instead of a destroyed society, consisted of 10,000 people. People in them worked for food, while the bones of the dead were used as fertilizer. Cambodia renamed Pol Pot to Kampuchea. The reason was simple: it was believed that the original name was borrowed from the Aryans.
The execution of Paul Pot in Kampuchea was especially cruel. In order to save ammunition, he destroyed the population by mass feeding people to crocodiles, killing hoes in the head, tearing up the abdomen with the subsequent transfer of organs for the manufacture of traditional medicine, placing cement in the mouth and nose and filling them with water and so on.
About 4 million people were killed in this way. Researchers from Cambodia, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge have noted that many died of starvation and disease, as well as war with neighboring states. Of course, in the process no one conducted accurate censuses in the jungle, however, data on a significant reduction in the country's population are official.
Biography
There is no exact information about when Pol Pot was born. Cambodian Hitler enveloped his personality with a mystery, rewrote his biography. Most historians are of the opinion that he was born in 1925. Pol Pot himself told about his fate like this: he was the son of peasants, which was considered honorable. He had 8 brothers and sisters. However, in reality, his family members held high posts in the country's power. His elder brother was a high-ranking official, and his cousin was the concubine of King Monivong.
Paul Pot's name in Cambodia was originally different. From birth, his name was Salot Sar. And Pol Pot is a pseudonym.
He grew up in a Buddhist monastery, and when he was 10 years old, he studied at a Catholic school. Thanks to the intercession of his sister (royal concubine), he was sent to study in France. There, the future dictator found his like-minded people. Pol Pot and Ieng Sari, along with Khieu Samphan, became interested in Marxist ideology, and then became Communists. When the future dictator was expelled from the university, he returned to his homeland.
The situation in the country
At the time of Pol Pot's arrival in Cambodia, the situation in the country was difficult. Cambodia was a colony of France, but in 1953 achieved independence. With the rise of Prince Sihanouk to power, Cambodia was desperate to get closer to China and North Vietnam, and to break relations with the United States. Among the main reasons for this move was the fact that America invaded Cambodia, pursuing the fighters of North Vietnam. When the United States apologized to Cambodia and promised not to enter its territory again, the prince gave permission to the soldiers of North Vietnam to be based in Cambodia.
This greatly weakened the position of the United States and caused their displeasure. The local population suffered from this step of their government. The constant invasions of the North Vietnamese did a lot of damage to their economy. The government bought their stocks at extremely low prices, the country had a communist underground. Here in such Cambodia, Pol Pot and the Reds began their movement.
Becoming a dictator
During this period, the future dictator worked as a school teacher. Using his position, he promoted communist ideas among schoolchildren. Such policies and activities of the underground led to a civil war in the country. The Vietnamese, together with the Cambodians, were robbing the country's civilian population. Each villager had a choice - join the ranks of the Communists or leave for a large settlement.
In his army, Pol Pot primarily used teenagers aged 14-18. They most easily succumbed to its influence. And he called the adult population "too susceptible to Western influence."
The last days of royal rule
The country's leader himself (Prince Sihanouk) was forced to turn to the United States for help. And the United States went to meet him, but with one condition. They were allowed to attack North Vietnamese bases in Cambodia. As a result of their attacks, both civilians and Vietnamese perished. In fact, this decision only worsened the situation of Sihanouk. He appealed to the USSR and China, and in 1970 even flew to Moscow. As a result of all these actions, a coup occurred in Cambodia. Then the Americans led its protagonist, Lon Nol, at the head of it.
Actions Lona Nola
First, Lon Nol expelled the Vietnamese from the country. This was done in 72 hours. But the Communists were in no hurry to leave their favorite place. US forces, together with South Vietnam, staged large-scale military operations to destroy them in Cambodia itself. It was a successful operation for the United States and South Vietnam, but it undermined Lon Nol's position, as the population was tired of another war. When after 2 months the US troops left Cambodia, the situation in it remained very acute.
At the height of the war was between the troops of the former government, the Khmer Rouge, the north and south Vietnamese. In addition, many diverse groups have appeared. Until now, many mines have survived in the jungle of a wounded country, on which civilians die.
The rise of Khmer rule
Little by little, the Khmers began to win. They managed to win over a large number of peasants. In 1975, this army surrounded Phnom Penh. The Americans did not fight for their own protege Lon Nol. He fled to Thailand. Khmer Communists began to rule the country. At that time, they seemed heroes to the civilian population, applauding them at the time of ascension to power. But a couple of days passed, and the communist army began to plunder the civilian population. All who began to protest were pacified by force. Then mass executions began. At that moment, civilians realized that this was not arbitrariness, but a focused policy. The bloody regime of Pol Pot was established.
Teenagers who obeyed him forcibly led the population of the capital outside the city limits. Any disobedience led to the execution. 2,500,000 people were removed from the capital and actually left without a home.
Anonymity
It is curious that among the expelled from their homes metropolitan residents were relatives of Salot Sarah, who once gave him patronage. The fact that the new dictator is their relative, they later learned quite by accident. In the best traditions of Orwell’s novel “1984,” the dictator was completely anonymous. He was known under the pseudonym Bon (older brother) with serial number 1. Each order was published on behalf of the “organization”. The first constituent documents proclaimed a total ban on religion, party, free thinking and medicine. Their legitimacy was accompanied by executions, the destruction of people belonging to these categories. The state did not have enough drugs after the war, and the government officially issued a decree to use "folk remedies." Unrealistic requirements were given to collect 3.5 ha of rice from 1 ha, which became the main focus in domestic politics.
Since the government was nationalistic, people were massively destroyed on the basis of ethnicity. It was a massive genocide, during which all Chinese and Vietnamese who were in the country were executed. This negatively affected relations with China and Vietnam, although they initially supported the new regime. This fact influenced the fate of Paul Pot very much.
Fall mode
A large-scale conflict was growing with China and Vietnam. In response to criticism of states whose citizens were massively destroyed in Cambodia, the dictator responded with threats of occupation. The border troops of Cambodia made forays into the civilian population of neighboring Vietnam. Preparations began for the war with this country in 1978.
Pol Pot each Khmer put forward an official demand to kill at least 30 Vietnamese. The slogan was openly proclaimed that Cambodia was ready to fight with its neighbors for at least 700 years. In the same year, Cambodia invaded Vietnam, whose troops launched a counterattack. In just 14 days, the Khmer teenagers were defeated, and Phnom Penh (the regime’s capital) was captured. Pol Pot himself escaped by helicopter.
After Khmer
When the capital was captured, the Vietnamese established a government in the state from their proteges, announced in absentia the death sentence to Pol Pot. The USSR began to actually control immediately 2 states. This did not suit the United States. A paradoxical situation arose: the US democratic state supported the Khmer Communists.
Pol Pot was hiding in the jungle on the border of Cambodia and Thailand. At the request of the United States, Thailand granted him asylum. Any attempt since 1979 by Paul Pot to return to power ended in failure, as he lost influence. When, in 1997, he decided to execute one of Khmer’s highest-ranking Son Sen along with his family, all the supporters of Pol Pot were convinced that he had lost touch with the real world. He was displaced. And in 1998, according to the documentary, a trial was held over Paul Then. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but in April of that year he was found dead.
Pol Pot died, but a few mysteries remain regarding his death. According to several versions, the cause of his death was heart failure, poisoning, suicide. The photo of Paul Pot, taken after his death, shows how ingloriously he ended his life, which brought millions of deaths and much grief to this world.
Different point of view
Of course, an alternative point of view on the activities of the bloody dictator has been preserved in history. He was compared with a team of unconscious adolescents who dreamed that the leadership of the educational institution was overthrown. They staged a riot, but in the end, the adult world won, and the teenagers returned to their usual schoolyards.
It should be noted that the main shock force of Pol Pot was children 12-18 years old. They were armed with Kalashnikovs. The peasant population easily gave their children to the Khmer Rouge army, and Pol Pot gave them a promise to restore order in the country. Although half of the country was bombed by American raids, the Khmer army survived.
Each decision during the reign of the dictator was made on behalf of "Agka", which in translation means "organization". Several times the dictator spread the news of his death - this was his reception. He signed many of the decisions with the name "Comrade No. 87."
It was forbidden to mention his name, to hang portraits. Even the artist who depicted him was executed. The same thing was done with those who hung a portrait of a dictator on a propaganda poster.
Only Mao Zedong, Kim Il Sung, and Nicolae Ceausescu saw him in his real guise.
More on the last days of power
The overthrow of the Khmers began with the rebellion of General Keng Samrin. He was supported by the Vietnamese. The latter tried to lure the USSR to their side, but China stood up for Pol Pot for some time.
During the war of Vietnam and Cambodia, the USSR provided humanitarian aid to the first. Although the Khmer remnants were defeated, they guerrilla guerrillas in the forests of the border of Cambodia and Thailand for another ten years.
Starting in January 1979, Pol Pot, with 10,000 associates, was hiding in Thailand. The ruler of Cambodia was Heng Samrin, who returned the royal government. At this time, the former dictator settled in a hut in the jungle. Here ended the biography of Paul Pot. It should be noted that there remained categories of the population that can remember the executioner with a kind word.
Other calculations
A number of researchers question the scale of executions under dictatorial regime. So, a special commission was created to investigate his crimes. It was found that in 3 years 3 314 768 people were killed and tortured.
The Commission began to calculate the natural population growth to ensure the accuracy of these victims. The population is known in 1970 and 1980, as well as the jump in 1978.
Based on these data, fewer than 2,300,000 casualties were reported. It must be remembered that the years when Pol Pot came to power were already bloody: in the territory of Cambodia there were US troops, aviation bombarded the country, a bloody war lasted 5 years. Therefore, many believe that it is unreasonable to attribute all the victims to the hand of Paul Pot, although the regime was accompanied by many episodes of unjustified cruelty,
More on domestic policy
When the people of Phnom Penh welcomed the “liberator” who had overthrown Lon Nol, they did not know that the new government would be engaged in “cleansing” the cities from them. At a meeting of the Central Committee, it was announced that the evacuation of the city’s population was one of the most important tasks, since it was necessary to neutralize the political and military opposition that was in the city. Pol Pot was afraid that many would oppose him under his tough policies. Therefore, over 2,500,000 people were evicted in 72 hours. People evicted to rural areas had difficulty organizing.
Officially, the dictator insisted that cities "create inequality between people." It was announced to residents that vices live in cities, that people can be changed, but not cities, that only at the work of rooting out the jungle will a person understand the meaning of life. The regime sought to turn all Cambodians into peasants. Many immigrants decided that with this decision the dictator wants to change the capital. Khmers have done this 4 times.
As a result, millions of people, including the elderly and pregnant women, moved on foot in the most severe conditions of the hot tropics. Tens of thousands of people were shot on the way. Many died from loss of strength, sunburn, hunger. Those who reached the end were dying a slow death. There was such a stampede that family members lost each other.
In 1979, an official study was conducted, during which it turned out that out of a group of 100 families that were evicted from the city, only 41% remained to live. On the way, the oldest brother of Pol Pot, Salot Chhai, died. The nephew of the dictator died of hunger and bullying, reaching the end of the road.
The dictator’s policy was based on 3 directions: ending the looting of peasants, eliminating Cambodia’s dependence on other states, restoring order in the country by establishing a strict regime.
The population of the state was divided by the government into three main categories:
- "The main people." This included peasants.
- "People of April 17th." These included all those who were evicted from their urban dwellings.
- "Intelligentsia". This category included former public servants, clergy and officers.
The second category was planned to be thoroughly re-educated, and the third — to be “cleaned”.
Cambodia has 20 ethnic groups. The largest are the Khmers. Many bodyguards of the dictator himself were not Khmers, they barely spoke Khmer. Despite this fact, other representatives of non-Khmer groups were massively destroyed in the country.
The peoples who lived in the Pailin area were massively destroyed. Thais were destroyed a very large number. Whereas in 1975, 20,000 Thais lived in Koh Kong province, in 1979 there were only 8,000 Thais. Pol Pot was especially vigorous in pursuing the Vietnamese. Thousands of them were executed, many were exiled.
Muslims were brutally persecuted. All the chams were evicted from their homes in remote areas. It was forbidden to use any other languages ​​except Khmer. All representatives of other ethnic groups had to abandon their customs, the characteristics of their culture. Everyone who was against was instantly shot. In addition, they were forbidden to create marriages among themselves, and all children were given up for education in Khmer families. As a result, about 50% of the chams were exterminated.
It was believed that any religion harms Kampuchea. Persecuted representatives of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. The head of the Muslims, Imam Hari Roslos and his assistants, were tortured, after which they were executed. 114 mosques were destroyed in the country. Religious books were burned. The Catholic population of the state decreased by 49%.
Of course, when such a regime came to power, waves of protests began, which became increasingly widespread. One after another, provinces rebelled that were unhappy with the new situation. However, the Khmers suppressed the uprisings, brutally killing all the rebels.
The uprising in 1977 of 650 soldiers in Phnom Penh is known. He was crushed, and commander Cha Krai was shot, his associates were burned at the stake publicly in the capital. Increasingly, representatives of the current government took part in the protests. Someone went over to Vietnam to help overthrow the Pol Pot regime. An uprising led by Sai Tuthong resulted in a real partisan movement. This led to disruption of transport in one of the provinces. And in 1978, the first deputy chairman of the State Presidium, Sor Phim, became the head of the uprising.
Personal life
Pol Pot married twice. In the first marriage, he could not have children, but in the second he had a daughter, Sar Patchad. She lives in the north of Cambodia, leads a bohemian lifestyle. There is evidence that the spouse of the dictator has disappeared. But how it affected him is a mystery.
Not much is known about the personal life of the dictator himself. He had serious security, he constantly moved from place to place and was very afraid for his life. It is not known exactly where he lived, but according to surviving information from a person who wished to remain anonymous, he lived "next to the Monument to Independence." This building was a kind of Kremlin outside the walls.
It is known that in the mansion there was running water, electricity. When they disappeared, they executed the workers for this. Pol Pot was surrounded by a servant — chauffeurs, security guards, mechanics, and cooks.
The dictator was constantly worried that he might be killed. When he appeared at meetings with the party, each member was searched. The Communist spent a lot of time looking at affairs, talking with associates. And he looked at the world and people through the prism of documentation. The country for him was only territory divided into circles with the party leadership in the center.
About the fields of death
After all these phenomena, the country remained wounded. Many Khmer Rouge and residents not affected by the horrors of the regime have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for decades. In a ruined country, no one made such diagnoses, did not deal with the treatment of this ailment. Therefore, the disease progresses.
Many people panic with a heart attack. The dictator was already overthrown, but even then the fields in Cambodia continued to serve as mass grave sites with dozens and hundreds of remains. To this day, locals often find human bones sticking out of the ground.
International reaction
It was not easy to hold the perpetrators accountable for all crimes committed by the bloody regime. 30 years after the expulsion of the dictator with the Khmer Rouge from the capital, the country's government turned to the UN to prosecute criminals.
The United Nations wanted to create a trial, but Cambodia feared Western influence in evaluating what was happening. As a result, an emergency chamber was created in the judicial authority of Cambodia, which took up the investigation.
But this process began so late that the accused managed to calmly die their deaths. It lasted more than a decade. All this time, responsible persons continued to live their lives free.
The chamber managed to bring to justice Kan Kek Man, who led the internal security at Paul Pot. He was in charge of Phnom Penh Prisons. About 16,000 people were killed in them, only seven survived. During the trial, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The ideologist of the “Brother No. 2” regime, Nuon Chea, was also arrested. He denied guilt, but was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2007, Ieng Sari was also caught "brother number 3," but he died before the trial.
Ieng Tirith was brought to justice in 2007, but she suffered from Alzheimer's disease, so she did not appear in court.
Hiu Sampana was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The whole trial was repeatedly criticized for being protracted, for sentencing only 3 people. The process was called corrupt and politicized, as the costs of the judiciary amounted to $ 200,000,000. This is really weird. In fact, people who committed mass genocide remained unpunished. In 2013, Prime Minister Kamobji Hong Song approved a bill recognizing the genocide and atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.