1975 Pol Pot Research Paper

Has your world ever seemed to come to a complete stop? If the answer is yes, then maybe you have gotten a taste of what Year Zero would have been like. There was nothing during this year: no food, no clothes, no families, and no money. Located in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is a country less than half the size of California. From 1975 to 1979 the people of this country were living in the most unbearable conditions. This is due to the fact that on April 17, 1975 Pol Pot commenced mass murders of the upper and middle class Cambodians. Starvation spread like a disease throughout Cambodia because of past government issues, the work of the Khmer Rouge, and failed attempts of aid. Not only was Cambodia in the middle of a civil war, but the country was also caught up in the Vietnam war. At this time Vietnam was fighting against the French, whom Cambodia gained independence from on November 9, 1954. In 1964, the US entered the …show more content…
Many Americans nowadays go three hours without something to eat and say that they are “starving” but we have no idea what it feels like to truly starve. Geopolitical tensions jeopardized aid attempts led by the Joint Mission which was made of the UNICEF and ICRC. The new government was led by Heng Samrin, who defected to Vietnam, this resulted in Vietnam maintaining a strong control over Phnom Pehn. Throughout 1979 thousands of Cambodians fled to the Thai border, but the Thai military kept them from entering the country. Many were starving, had malaria, and were in very poor health. Some humanitarian agencies organized several trucks to deliver food, plastic tarps and other essential supplies, but they were mobbed the moment they entered the camps, and it had been impossible to determine who got the supplies and if it had been enough for