1. Cambodian Genocide

2. Map of Cambodia

3. What Happened
In 1975 the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot took over most of Cambodia.
The Khmer Rouge (Communists) had been fighting a Civil War against the Nationalists led by Lon Nol

4. Back to Year Zero
When any group gains total control of a country, they can change the way that it is run.
When the Khmer Rouge gained control of Cambodia, they wanted to have a new society and to ignore the past.
To start off, Pol Pot renumbered 1975 as Year Zero of the new era.

5. Khmer Rouge soldiers in 1975
Changes in Year Zero
List 10 ways that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge tried to “purify” Cambodian society, and seal Cambodia off from the outside world.
Looking at your list, explain in 3-4 sentences how these actions would have helped the Khmer Rouge isolate Cambodia.
Choose the item from your list that you think would be the hardest to have taken away, and explain why.
Khmer Rouge soldiers in 1975

6. People being forced from the cities.
New Lives Year Zero
What happened to the people who lived in Cambodia’s cities?
Where did they go?
What did they do when they got there?
People being forced from the cities.

7. Harsh Life
Life became so harsh that thousands of people died of the farms from overwork, malnutrition and disease.
The Khmer Rouge told Cambodians “whether you live or die is not of great significance.”

8. Purges A purge is an attempt to get rid of a certain group.
Which groups did Pol Pot try to purge from Cambodian society?
Why would he have chosen these groups?
What other methods did the Khmer Rouge use to change society?

9. Deaths
When the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia, the population was
What percentage of the population died or left Cambodia?
In 1979 the Vietnamese gained control of Cambodia.
A mass grave in Cambodia. The exact number of deaths can never be calculated.

10. Comparing Cambodia and New Zealand
Using the information on Cambodia and New Zealand on the next slide, complete these activities:
Look at the first 5 figures for each country. All five are higher for Cambodia than for New Zealand. Why do you think Cambodia’s figures are higher? In what why are they linked? (Hint: Why would a high mortality rate lead to a high birth rate?)
Look also at the figures for literacy, televisions and telephones.
Write a paragraph (3-4 sentences) explaining how Cambodia’s civil and guerilla wars, and the rule of the Khmer Rouge, may be responsible for these statistics. (Hint: Continual fighting may make it difficult to go to school. Why? How would the Khmer Rouge policies affect literacy?)

11. Comparing Cambodia and New Zealand
Cambodia New Zealand
Birth Rate 42 births/1,000 population 15 births/1,000 population
Death Rate 16 deaths/1,000 population 8 deaths/1,000 population
Fertility Rate 5.8 children born/woman 1.9 children born/woman
Infant Mortality 107 deaths/1,000 live births 6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy Total 48 yrs yrs
Literacy Total Population 35 % %
Population
Telephones
Televisions

13. Abandoned Cities