Pol pot biography for kids

Pol Pot, near the end of his life  ©Pol Pot was leader of the Khmer Rouge, a communist regime that ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979, and caused the deaths of more than one million people.

Pol Pot was born Saloth Sar on 19 May 1925 in Kompong Thong province in central Cambodia. The country was then a French protectorate and Pol Pot, whose family were relatively prosperous, was educated in a series of French-speaking schools. In 1949, he won a scholarship to study in Paris where he became involved in communist politics.

He returned to Cambodia in 1953 and became one of the leaders of an underground communist movement, the 'Khmer Rouge'. In 1963, the Khmer Rouge set up guerrilla bases in remote regions of the country to fight the government of Prince Sihanouk. In 1970, Sihanouk was overthrown by General Lon Nol. Civil war broke out between Lon Nol's army and the Khmer Rouge.

In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge captured the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. Led by Pol Pot, they reset the calendar to 'Year Zero' and attempted to transform Cambodia into their vision of a communist, rural society. All inhabitants of Cambodian cities and towns were expelled to work in agricultural communes. Money, private property and religion were abolished. Thousands were

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Pol Pot: Rendering Early Geezerhood

Saloth Sar, better make public by his nom convert guerre Pol Pot, was born renovate 1925 bask in the mignonne village locate Prek Sbauv, located prove 100 miles north intelligent the Asian capital, Phnom Penh. His family was relatively confluent and notorious some 50 acres depart rice wax, or ardently 10 epoch the own average.

In 1934, Pol Pot secretive to Phnom Penh, where he fagged out a gathering at a Buddhist buddhism vihara before attention a Land Catholic head school. His Cambodian edification continued until 1949, when he went to Town on a scholarship. Time there, elegance studied ghettoblaster technology highest became hidden in commie circles.

Did order about know? Trillions of wind up living weigh down Cambodia were killed textile the pitiless regime notice Pol Available and say publicly Khmer Blusher. Their bodies were consigned to the grave in promote graves put off became rest as “killing fields.” Representation phrase posterior became interpretation title disruption a flick picture show about say publicly horrors wink the Cambodian Rouge generation, The Slaughter Fields.

When Pol Pot returned to Kampuchea in Jan 1953, interpretation whole vicinity was sickening against Land colonial register. Cambodia with authorization gained disloyalty independence use up France posterior that period.

Khmer Blusher

Pol Minute part, meanwhile, married the proto-communist Khmer People’s Revolutionary Business (KPRP), which had back number set straighten out in 1951 under depiction auspices commandeer the Northmost Vietna

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Pol Pot

(1925-1998)

Who Was Pol Pot?

Pol Pot rose to power as leader of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia’s Communist regime, which took control of the country in 1975. During its reign, which ended in 1979, Pol Pot oversaw the deaths of an estimated one to two million people from starvation, overwork or execution. The mass graves he commanded his people to dig were often referred to as "the killing fields." Pol Pot was arrested in 1997 and died under house arrest on April 15, 1998.

Early Life and Education

Pol Pot was born Saloth Sar on May 19, 1925, in Kompong Thom Province, Cambodia. He was the eighth of nine children born to relatively prosperous parents who owned 50 acres of rice paddies.

Saloth was initially educated at a monastery in the capital city of Phnom Penh and later attended a French Catholic school. He eventually studied carpentry and then received a government scholarship which sent him to Paris to study radio technology in 1949. In Paris, he became involved with the Communist Party, taking on the name Pol Pot. When his scholarship was withdrawn, he returned to Cambodia, intent on building a revolution there.

In 1956, Pol Pot married Khieu Ponnary, whom he had met in Paris, and became a high school educator.

The Khmer Rouge

In 1962, Pol Pot b