Term Papers on Revolution In Cambodia

Term Paper Title	Revolution In Cambodia
# of Words	704
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	2.82

Revolution in Cambodia

There is nothing unique about government-sponsored violence. There is, in fact, nothing especially unusual about widespread killing or even genocide. The rallying cry heard in the wake of World War II -- "Never again!" -- is a noble sentiment, and not a reflection of reality. Ask the Indonesians, or the Timorese, or the Palestinians, or the Salvadorans, or the Rwandans, or the Yugoslavs... or the Cambodians.

The reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia ranks as one of the most disastrous in modern history. It could be persuasively argued that it was, in fact, the worst.

It is important to understand the Cambodian revolution in context. Scholars currently investigating mass graves in Cambodia now estimate Pol Pot's three-and-a-half year reign led to the deaths of approximately two million people. There were no precise statistics on the population of the
country when the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, but it is likely that
the number of deaths represented between fifteen and twenty percent of the
Connolly 2
entire population.

Moreover, an important fact to remember regarding the Khmer Rouge period is that the death toll alone does not fully reflect the severity of their rule. In this century, there has probably been no other revolution, which so completely altered the lives of an entire population. Literally overnight, entire cities were emptied. Property was abolished. Money became worthless. Homes and families were destroyed. The new government suddenly dictated every aspect of every life. There was no transition period; hundreds of thousands of people... store clerks, factory workers, taxi drivers, cooks... suddenly became farmers. Thousands were executed immediately. Overnight, Cambodia became a nation of slaves. For every Cambodian old enough to remember the events of 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge reign would mark a turning point in their lives.

The extremism of the Khmer Rouge was not merely rooted in evil. It is doubtful that the Khmer Rouge were morally any worse than, for example,
the right-wing death squads in El Salvador or Guatemala. A government
which accepts state-sponsored terror as a legitimate method of enforcing
Connolly 3
...

This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Digital Term Papers. Please register below now!

Digital Term Papers has over 63,000 essays, term papers, and book notes online. Many paper sites will charge you hundreds of dollars for a single paper. Digital Term Papers only charges $14.95 for a one month membership with instant account activation!

Don't waste anymore time! Join NOW!!!

1 Month (automatic renewal) ($14.95)

3 Months (automatic renewal) ($29.95)

6 Months (one-time billing) ($39.95)

Pay by: