The Cambodian genocide was the result of the Khmer Rouge, which was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of people. They murdered many different groups including the Vietnamese, in and around the borders of the country, the Chinese, Muslim Chams, Buddhist monks, and even some Khmers, that they saw as traitors. They almost exterminated every ethnic group in Cambodia (289). The Khmer Rouge desired for Cambodia to be as they once were in the Angkor Empire, a powerful nation. The Khmer Rouge idolized the empire so much that it was their symbol. The Khmer Rouge was set on gaining their territory back from the Vietnamese, because they felt it was rightfully theirs. This caused the rise in the Khmer Rouge nationalism and fanaticism. There
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The U.S. being at war with Vietnam caused Cambodia to get involved when they didn’t ask for it. The U.S. sent food to the civilians of Cambodia, but the hard-headed KR did not want any help from and outsiders or any other nation. Having no food or nourishment meant that it was much easier to kill all the deportees, or enemies of the people. They led all them on death marches, knowing that they would not be able to survive, the KR killed about 400,000 victims, just on these marches (292). The Vietnamese were also the reason the genocide was brought to an end. On December 25, 1978, the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and seized Phnom Penh in just two weeks. The KR fled to hiding spots along the border and that was the end of the genocide …show more content…
To cause a genocide it cannot be done single-handedly. It may have been one central power at the root of it all, but there are always other forces influencing what happens. This does not mean that the French, the U.S., or Vietnam wanted for this all to occur. They did what they felt was right at the time of war, and confusion. Although, some of the actions made by these three nations had a domino effect as to how the genocide played out, that may or may have not been
The U.S. being at war with Vietnam caused Cambodia to get involved when they didn’t ask for it. The U.S. sent food to the civilians of Cambodia, but the hard-headed KR did not want any help from and outsiders or any other nation. Having no food or nourishment meant that it was much easier to kill all the deportees, or enemies of the people. They led all them on death marches, knowing that they would not be able to survive, the KR killed about 400,000 victims, just on these marches (292). The Vietnamese were also the reason the genocide was brought to an end. On December 25, 1978, the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and seized Phnom Penh in just two weeks. The KR fled to hiding spots along the border and that was the end of the genocide …show more content…
To cause a genocide it cannot be done single-handedly. It may have been one central power at the root of it all, but there are always other forces influencing what happens. This does not mean that the French, the U.S., or Vietnam wanted for this all to occur. They did what they felt was right at the time of war, and confusion. Although, some of the actions made by these three nations had a domino effect as to how the genocide played out, that may or may have not been