Killing Fields Essay, Research Paper

ESSAY

This essay will discuss the events that happened in Cambodia and how these events were similar to the war events that occurred in Vietnam, the essay will also discuss the important differences in the wars in both countries.

In the early 1960 s many people thought that Cambodia was near to perfect place with such things as flourishing economy e.g.: Fertile rice fields. This can be also compared with a flourishing Vietnamese economy also with such things as rice fields flourished greatly and many other economical similarities.

The Cambodian people went though many years of turmoil and suffering this was a very similar comparison that the Vietnamese had to suffer also with many years of being governed by different countries. The Khmer Rouge were a Cambodian activist movement which was led by Pol Pot. Pol Pot could be seen as a ruling similar to Diem, such as ruling with an iron fist. Diem would force people to do things and killing for unnecessary reasons; Diem was put in power by Americans and had worldwide condemnation. Diem would put peasants in strategic hamlets that were similar to the labour camp Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge had in place for the Cambodian peasants. In these strategic hamlets of Diems many of the peasants suffered and died, as did the Cambodians in the labour camps of Pol Pot. Many of the peasants in Pol Pots labour camps suffered greatly also, they worked hard on the rice and rubber plantations and a great number of them lost their lives.

Cambodian went through a five year civil war, this can be compared to the for ever battles of the French or US backed South Vietnam against the Communist North Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh. In Cambodia the Party center consisting of Pol Pot and some other leaders lead the Khmer Rouge to a victory over the US-backed Republic of General Lon Nol. The Communist North also had many success in defeating a well better equipped US- Backed force. The well better equipped forces greatly under estimated both movements, so this is a great similarity which both wars had in common.