Abbreviated lesson on the history of the kampuchean revolutionary movement led by the communist party of kampuchea. Book by philip short entitled pol pot, the history of a nightmare. The trial of pol pot and ieng sary was the worlds first genocide trial based on united nationss policy as well as the first trial of a head of government on a human rightsrelated charge. Yet pol pots utopian experiments in social engineering would result in the death of one in every five cambodiansmore than a million people. Vietnamese troops seize the cambodian capital of phnom penh, forcing pol pot and his communist khmer rouge forces to retreat into the jungle. Anatomy of a nightmare from the worlds largest community of readers. Cambodian history and culture combined with intervention from the united states and other nations to set the stage for a disaster whose horrors echo loudly in the troubling events of our world today. In the threeandahalf years of his rule, more than a million people, a fifth of cambodias population, were.
The khmer rouge held power in cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and aggressively pursued a policy of radical social reform that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of cambodians through mass executions and physical privation. Pol pot and khmer rouge had long been supported by the communist party of china cpc and mao zedong. Both hitler and pol pot were very good at killing their own people, both are. Pol pot described the new state as a precious model for humanity with a revolutionary spirit that outstripped that of earlier revolutionary socialist movements. Philip short observed pol pot at close quarters during the one and only of. Pol pot anatomy of a nightmare pdf observing pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit he ever made abroad, to china in 1975, philip short was struck pdf995 pdfedit995 by the.
Is wikipedia an american destroyer of history like hollywood. Yet pol pot s utopian experiments in social engineering would result in the death of one in every five cambodiansmore than a million people. This book will tell you as much about the human condition as it will about pol pot. What are the similarities and differences between hitler. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. This documentary record is significant for the history of cambodia, and it will be of the highest importance as well to the international legal and human. This article attempts to shed additional light on one of the most sensitive aspects of chinas cold war legacy its support for pol pots democratic kampuchea dk between april 1975 and. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app.
Anatomy of a nightmare does what powers book can never bring itself to do calmly, patiently, document a single tragedy, start to finish. In january 1979, the government was overthrown by former khmer rouge functionaries, with substantial backing from the army. In the public sphere, stalin was very much a religious man. Pol pot was born in 1925 as saloth sar into a farming family in central cambodia, which was then part of french indochina. The windows policy file type, file format description, and windows programs listed on this page have been individually researched and verified by the fileinfo team. So this book is a history of the way the world really did end in one particular country. Short is excellent at coining pithy summations of political. Im even less an expert on cambodian history than on german. Pol pot, the khmer rouge and mass genocide some names should never be lost to history, and pol pots is one of them. January 25, 1925 april 15, 1998 was the leader of cambodia between 1975 and 1979. People will cite him as an atheist, but by all appearances he was a key figure with the russian orthodox church and the church was very much a part of his government. The definitive portrait of pol pot, the enigmatic man behind the most terrifying regime of modern times pol pot was an idealistic, reclusive figure with great charisma and personal charm. Observing pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit he ever made abroad, to china in 1975, philip short was struck by the cambodian leaders charm and charisma.
Pol pot was so closely associated with the genocide of his own people that in the final days of his life, even his old chinese and thai friends who supported the khmer rouge during the 1980s. Philip short observed pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit pol ever made abroad, to china in 1975. An important book for students of genocide as well as scholars of southeast asia. Pdf pol pot is one twentieth century leader with a specific place in history as the orchestrator of one of that centurys. Pol pot simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. He was the leader of one of the most ruthless communist regimes in history and thats saying something, the khmer rouge. The governing system before the khmer rouge was a dictatorship that allowed the small group of elite to abuse their power and keep the wealth for themselves. Behind one of the largest slaughters in history we do not find the monster we mighy expect.
Insights into the minds of psychopaths under pol pot and the khmer rouge, cambodia suffered the loss of the highest proportion of its population of any nation in modern history. Pol pot was against the corruption in the governing system, he saw the poverty and poor living conditions in cambodia and wanted to change this. Anatomy of a nightmare new york, henry holt, condemns not just the cambodian court but also khmer buddhism as a. Pol pot ebook by philip short 9781429900935 rakuten kobo. Samantha powers indictment of american moral failure, a problem from. In the threeandahalf years of his rule, more than a million people, a fifth of cambodias population, were executed or died. Cambodian genocide denial was the belief expressed by many western academics that claims of atrocities by the khmer rouge government 19751979 in cambodia were much exaggerated. He then begins to expel foreigners,close embassies, abolish the national currency, and abolish all markets, schools, the press, religion and privately held property.
Although it was an indigenous political phenomenon, pol pots regime could not have come to power without the massive economic and military destabilisation of cambodia by the united states, beginning in 1966. Pol pot, original name saloth sar, born may 19, 1925, kompong thom province, cambodiadied april 15, 1998, near anlong veng, along the cambodiathailand border, khmer political leader who led the khmer rouge totalitarian regime 197579 in cambodia that imposed severe hardships on the. Our goal is to help you understand what a file with a. Samantha powers indictment of american moral failure, a problem from hell. Phnom penhs population held approximately one million residents and refugees. Many scholars of cambodia and intellectuals, opposed to the u. The name pol pot was an alias, the best known of several used by the khmer rouge leader, who was born saloth sar. Read pol pot anatomy of a nightmare by philip short available from rakuten kobo. But in the process, cambodia desended into madness and his name became a byword for oppression.
Kiernan, the leading authority on modern cambodia, meticulously examines pol pots killing machine and clears up many misconceptions found in earlier studies. In 1949, at age 20, he traveled to paris on a scholarship to study radio electronics but became absorbed in marxism and neglected his studies. A gripping and definitive portrait of the man who headed one of the most enigmatic and terrifying regimes of modern time. Here, you can read it online or download on any other format as u want to. Timeline world history documentaries recommended for you 48.
Pol pot, the khmer rouge and mass genocide history lessons. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. She does not necessarily want compensation, she says, just an acknowledgement that, in the confused early hours of pol pots brutal regime, the former colonial power could have made some effort to. Pol pot and his followers had about as much to do with marxism as jesus had to do with the policies of nero, 2. Nightmare of pol pots terror haunts a widow in a paris suburb. Its interesting, but its short on proof short is a good storyteller, and hes picked a fascinating subject. In the early 1970s, north vietnam supported the khmer rouge in its guerrilla war against the u. He was the leader of a group called the khmer rouge, a group of peasant revolutionaries who turned cambodia into a military dictatorship officially called democratic kampuchea. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Book by philip short entitled pol pot, the history. Anatomy of a nightmare book pdf this pol pot anatomy of a nightmare contains a wealth of information and charney, with his thorough knowledge of art history and contemporary criminal activity related to art theftforgery, delivers quite a riveting read.
His weighty book, which is as much a history of modern cambodia as a biography of the man. In the process his country descended into madness, becoming a concentration camp of the mind, a slave state in which obedience was enforced on the killing fields. This story begins when pol pot was simply saloth sar, a worthless student who consoled himself. Cnn cambodias pol pot reported dead april 15, 1998. Drawing on field interviews with former khmer rouge cadres and. After seizing power in april 1975, the khmer rouge wanted to turn the country into a socialist. The cambodian nightmare came under some scrutiny after the film the killing fields but i never fully grasped what led up to this event. But the accounts of occasional witnesses, and surviving internal documents, allow us to. Pol pot was an idealistic, reclusive figure with great charisma and personal charm.
In the genocide in cambodia, the united states did not help out because they had just gotten out of the cold war. Though pol pot was responsible for an untold number of. Anatomy of a nightmare book pdf full pages paperback book with the name of pol pot anatomy of a nightmare are written by the great writer. Anatomy of a nightmare does what powers book can never bring itself to do calmly, patiently, document a.
He was struck by pol pots charm and charisma, yet, soon after, the leader would emerge as the architect of one of the most radical and ruthless experiments in social engineering ever undertaken. A study of the actions of psychopathically disordered regimes reveals common features which correspond closely with the clinical symptoms of psychopathy, pathological narcissism. When pol pot came into power the city was emptied virtually overnight. Race, power, and genocide in cambodia under the khmer rouge.
Anatomy of a nightmare and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. We strive for 100% accuracy and only publish information about file formats that we have tested and validated. My cluelessness may be the reason that i can only come up with very few similarities, but since you asked. Pol pots faction chinese support and valuable manoeuvrability against the orthodox provietnamese khmer communists. Anatomy of a nightmare, published by henry holt and company. In david chandlers excellent biography brother number one from 1993, the author has an eerie feeling. In the 1970s, marxistleninism was at its strongest point in history, and pol pot presented the cambodian example as the one which other revolutionary movements should follow. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. This book fills in the gaps but, like myself, some readers will be intrigued by the character of pol pot. The pogrom against the cham minority was the most devastating, killing more than half of that community. Pol pot anatomy of a nightmare pdf download now a new book, philip shorts pol pot. The text sparkles with shrewdly plausible inferences mortared into a compelling narrative. Anatomy of a nightmare by philip short librarything.