Miscellaneous
A potent mix of communism, nationalism, racialism, imperialism, and violence resulted in the Khmer Rouge coming to power in Cambodia in 1975. Led by a man going by the name of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge orchestrated the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians in a genocide that has become known to history simply as the killing fields. In only four years of chaos, Pol Pot's reign of terror ranks among the most brutal regimes in all history. This is Part I in a series on the Cambodian Genocide. It goes over some background causation that led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge, and their initial act of emptying out Cambodia's cities. Future episodes will discuss ordinary life in Cambodia under Pol Pot, genocide, as well as first hand accounts from Loung Ung and other children of Cambodia. I relied heavily on Ben Kiernan's "The Pol Pot Regime," Loung Ung's "First They Killed My Father," and Dith Pran's "Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields." Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today? My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived, loved, collaborated and even resisted during those times. Through exploring the past, I hope to unlock lessons that all learners on the course can apply to the present day - from why fascism attracts people to how it can be resisted. I'm donating 20% of the proceeds to Givewell's Maximum Impact Fund, and the course also comes with a 100% money back guarantee. Check it out at https://avid.fm/reflectinghistory