“Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge did systematic mass murder of over 2 million people.
Nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population—perished between 1975 and 1979.
While he framed these actions as necessary to reach a “classless agrarian utopia,” the reality was a brutal campaign of execution, forced labor, and starvation.

The phrase “For the Good of the People” (or “the greater good”) has been a foundation of authoritarian rhetoric thru the ages. It has allowed leaders from every part of our world to justify their atrocities as a painful but necessary step to reach their grand, pure and prosperous future.”

On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge forced millions out of cities into the countryside on foot, leading to thousands of deaths from exhaustion and illness.
They systematically executed anyone deemed an “intellectual” or “enemy of the state,” including doctors, teachers, monks,
and even those who wore glasses or spoke foreign languages.
To save ammunition, victims were often beaten to death with farm tools like pickaxes, hoes, and bamboo sticks.
“For the good of the People”…
Dehumanization:
By focusing on the “collective,” the individual becomes a disposable “part” that can be discarded if it is “rotten”.
Moral Licensing:
It provides followers with a moral excuse for violence, suggesting that their cruelty is actually an act of “love” or “duty” to their nation.

Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields
Genocide in Cambodia
Cambodian genocide

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