Essay:
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War (1955-1975) Cambodia’s political and social tensions rose so dramatically that they led to war with Vietnam. Cambodia went from celebrating their victory over the Americans to a nation on the brink of war with its neighbours. In the aftermath of the war, due to clashing communist ideologies, the countries, Cambodia and Vietnam, positioned themselves against each other. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge conducted mass purges that kill a million people and resettled others from urban areas to the countryside. Because of all this, Cambodian political and social tensions steadily rose in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
One major aspect that forced the political tensions of Cambodia to increase was its own …show more content…
The purges took place in 1975 and resulted in the death of 1.5 million people. The purges created internal conflict within Cambodia. The government resettled many Cambodians to the countryside to work as peasants. Any who refused this order were slain. This would eventually lead to one of Vietnam’s justification of war against Cambodia in 1979. The purges killed off any groups viewed as non-Cambodian or non-communist. Religious groups in Cambodia were outraged by the atrocities; as the communist regime led a purge against Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. Pol Pot, who’s main political power base lay in the east of the country, was strictly atheist. In the east, there was also ongoing bigotry against Buddhists. This led to 80,000 monks being disrobed or killed. The purges led to the destruction of Cambodian urban centres and the country which had once been producing a food surplus was now experiencing a famine. The mass upheaval in Cambodia threw the country into disarray. The Khmer Rouge actions were inspired by the Maoist of cultural revolution: the idea being that after an ethnic cleansing, the remaining people would be living in a utopian society. However, in the case of Cambodia, it led to starvation and death, and the enforced resettlement of the population. Social engineering – in the case of Cambodia – refers to the Khmer Rouge’s effort to create a perfect utopian society. The Khmer Rouge applied gender separation policies and sorted out people into work units, often separating them from their families. This became known as the instant revolution. The result was a country living in fear. This was a major contributor to social and political strains in
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War (1955-1975) Cambodia’s political and social tensions rose so dramatically that they led to war with Vietnam. Cambodia went from celebrating their victory over the Americans to a nation on the brink of war with its neighbours. In the aftermath of the war, due to clashing communist ideologies, the countries, Cambodia and Vietnam, positioned themselves against each other. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge conducted mass purges that kill a million people and resettled others from urban areas to the countryside. Because of all this, Cambodian political and social tensions steadily rose in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
One major aspect that forced the political tensions of Cambodia to increase was its own …show more content…
The purges took place in 1975 and resulted in the death of 1.5 million people. The purges created internal conflict within Cambodia. The government resettled many Cambodians to the countryside to work as peasants. Any who refused this order were slain. This would eventually lead to one of Vietnam’s justification of war against Cambodia in 1979. The purges killed off any groups viewed as non-Cambodian or non-communist. Religious groups in Cambodia were outraged by the atrocities; as the communist regime led a purge against Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. Pol Pot, who’s main political power base lay in the east of the country, was strictly atheist. In the east, there was also ongoing bigotry against Buddhists. This led to 80,000 monks being disrobed or killed. The purges led to the destruction of Cambodian urban centres and the country which had once been producing a food surplus was now experiencing a famine. The mass upheaval in Cambodia threw the country into disarray. The Khmer Rouge actions were inspired by the Maoist of cultural revolution: the idea being that after an ethnic cleansing, the remaining people would be living in a utopian society. However, in the case of Cambodia, it led to starvation and death, and the enforced resettlement of the population. Social engineering – in the case of Cambodia – refers to the Khmer Rouge’s effort to create a perfect utopian society. The Khmer Rouge applied gender separation policies and sorted out people into work units, often separating them from their families. This became known as the instant revolution. The result was a country living in fear. This was a major contributor to social and political strains in