S2 Ep21: A Khmer Rouge Ideology and Sihanouk's Dark Side

Who was Nuon Chea?

What does Buddhism have to do with Khmer Rouge ideology?

Why did Sihanouk sever ties with the United States?
 

Time Period Covered 1963 - 1965

In this episode we explore the impact of the fateful year of 1963 in Cambodia, as well as the circumstances that the new Cambodian communist leadership were dealing with in the Vietnamese jungle. We also look at the difference between two influential future leaders of Democratic Kampuchea; Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, as they play quite different roles for the organisation.

This episode also explores the relationship between Theravada Buddhist language, grammar and thought and the way this was utilised by the Khmer Rouge to transplant communist ideas into Cambodian minds.

Finally, the episode concludes by explaining the reasons surrounding Sihanouk's distancing from the US and eventual cutting off of US aid and relations between the two countries.

Sources

Philip Short Pol Pot: History of a Nightmare
David Chandler The Tragedy of Cambodian History & Brother Number One
Ben Kiernan How Pol Pot Came to Power
Milton Osbourne Sihanouk
Steve Heder Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model
Norodom Sihanouk My War with the CIA

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