Pol Pot Biography
Pol Pot, leader of the radical Khmer Rouge in Cambodia stands as one of the most savage mass murderers in the history of the world. In an attempt to create a utopian agrarian society, Pol Pot eliminated all opponents to his totalitarian regime. Up to 2,000,000 Cambodians lost their lives to this cleansing, the equivalent of more than twenty-five percent of the entire population. The world looks on in horror at the aftermath of this destruction.
Pol Pot, or Saloth Sar, was born on May 19, 1925, in a province north of Phnom Penh. He moved to Phnom Penh at age six because his sister became a midwife of the king and his brother served as an official for the royal palace. While in Phnom Penh he continued to study at a number of French schools and later a Catholic college, although he never even finished high school. While in Paris he became intrigued with Marxist ideology. He joined the French Communist Party, along with several other Cambodian students.They called, “Paris Group”. These young students committed themselves to the spread of communism in Cambodia. Pol Pot neglected his studies, lost his scholarship, and returned to Cambodia. However, the “Paris Group” rejoined back in Cambodia. These members became the backbone for nationalist and leftists ideas, eventually becoming the core leaders of the Khmer Rouge.
Upon his return, Pol Pot joined the underground Kampuchean People’s Revolutionary Party (KPRP). First, he worked in the northeaster province of Kampong Cham and then moved to Phnom Penh, frequently receiving inspiration from the Vietnamese communists. Once again in a sad irony, Pol Pot supported himself during this time by teaching at a private school, doing the very thing for which people would later receive the death penalty for and teaching students he would later massacre.
In 1962, Pol Pot became the most powerful person in the Cambodian Communist Party. At this time, Prince Sihanouk, the leader of the Cambodian government, forced him to flee into the
Pol Pot, or Saloth Sar, was born on May 19, 1925, in a province north of Phnom Penh. He moved to Phnom Penh at age six because his sister became a midwife of the king and his brother served as an official for the royal palace. While in Phnom Penh he continued to study at a number of French schools and later a Catholic college, although he never even finished high school. While in Paris he became intrigued with Marxist ideology. He joined the French Communist Party, along with several other Cambodian students.They called, “Paris Group”. These young students committed themselves to the spread of communism in Cambodia. Pol Pot neglected his studies, lost his scholarship, and returned to Cambodia. However, the “Paris Group” rejoined back in Cambodia. These members became the backbone for nationalist and leftists ideas, eventually becoming the core leaders of the Khmer Rouge.
Upon his return, Pol Pot joined the underground Kampuchean People’s Revolutionary Party (KPRP). First, he worked in the northeaster province of Kampong Cham and then moved to Phnom Penh, frequently receiving inspiration from the Vietnamese communists. Once again in a sad irony, Pol Pot supported himself during this time by teaching at a private school, doing the very thing for which people would later receive the death penalty for and teaching students he would later massacre.
In 1962, Pol Pot became the most powerful person in the Cambodian Communist Party. At this time, Prince Sihanouk, the leader of the Cambodian government, forced him to flee into the