Pol Pot

Jackson Laurent & Dallas Houston

Biography

Saloh Sar (AKA Pol Pot) 9 May 1925 15 April 1998

Cambodian Dictator 22 February 1963 6 December 1981
Lived in a Buddhist monastery for 6 years
Studied in France where he studied Karl Marx and became a
communist
Controlled the Khmer Rouge guerrillas where they overthrew the
Cambodian government and he became the total dictator

Dictatorship
Pol Pot believed in true communism and began to create a utopia
(a perfect society)
To create a perfect utopia and keep power Pol Pot executed 1.7
million Cambodians.
He erased all former technology and history and started his
country at Year Zero.
His plan was to eliminate all adults and rule over a complete child
army.

Pol Pot Facts

Any Western country was considered an enemy to Pol Pot and was
on his list for genocide.
Vietnam was the enemy he would go to war and eventually be
dethroned by their army
His only ally was the Khmer Rouge of Kampuecha where they
would provide him with the weapons to overthrow the Cambodian
Government
Pol Pot had 25% of Cambodias population executed and killed 3
million people in total during his rule.

Loss of Power and Life

After Cambodias loss in the war versus Vietnam Pol Pot relocated
to a jungle where his child soldiers took care of him until he died
of a heart attack.
Many believe his heart attack was due to a poison by his wife who
he physically abused.

Pol Pot Quotes

Since he is of no use anymore, there is no gain if he lives and no
loss if he dies.
I did not join the resistance movement to kill people, to kill the
nation. Look at me now. Am I a savage person? My conscience is
clear.
I want you to know that everything I did, I did for my country.

References

"BBC History Historic Figures: Pol Pot (19251998)". BBC.

Chandler, David (23 August 1999). "Pol Pot". Time Magazine.
Chandler, David (23 August 1999). "Time necropsy". Time Magazine.
http://www.history.com/topics/pol-pot
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm
Short, Philip, 2006, Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare, Henry Holt, USA
Short, Philip (27 February 2005). "First Chapter Pol Pot".
The New York Times.