The Cambodian genocide is regarded as one of the most brutal mass killings of the 20th century and resulted in the rise of the Khmer Rogue, a communist party in 1975. It is estimated that 1.7 million people or roughly 20% of the population fell victim to the Genocide initiated by this anti capitalist, left wing establishment under the leadership of Pol Pot, a radical socialist. Intellectuals were particularly targeted by the communist party in an attempt to create a classless society centered on agriculture. This concept is evident in the Khmer Rogue’s political ideology, that Cambodia was to become a Agrarian nation and have no western influence. The pursuit of this ideology significantly impacted numerous sectors of the Cambodian economy
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Once stated by the Khmer Rogue leader Pol pot “to spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss,” conveying his brutal mindset. 1968 saw agriculture making up 41% of Cambodia’s GDP, though a significant number, over 50% of the Cambodian economy was eradicated. Pol pot sought to triple agriculture production in a year. The genocide’s objective was solely based around agriculture, this is shown in the 85 pages dedicated to husbandry in the Khmer Rogues 4 year plan. The latter 20th century saw the digital revolution, for Cambodia to transition back to an economy solely dependent on agriculture created an immediate impact on the state of the economy. The state monopoly saw poverty levels and starvation start to increase, whilst Cambodia’s global economy decrease. Immediately after the genocide, Cambodia’s economy was dominated by subsistent agriculture. The share of employment in agriculture decline from 72% in 1993 to 65% in 2010. The change highlights the transformation of economy from an agricultural base to an industrial and services base. Despite the state of restricted economy for agriculture during and after the Khmer rogue, the genocide had significantly less impact on the logn term economy compared to the major impact on the short term Cambodian
Once stated by the Khmer Rogue leader Pol pot “to spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss,” conveying his brutal mindset. 1968 saw agriculture making up 41% of Cambodia’s GDP, though a significant number, over 50% of the Cambodian economy was eradicated. Pol pot sought to triple agriculture production in a year. The genocide’s objective was solely based around agriculture, this is shown in the 85 pages dedicated to husbandry in the Khmer Rogues 4 year plan. The latter 20th century saw the digital revolution, for Cambodia to transition back to an economy solely dependent on agriculture created an immediate impact on the state of the economy. The state monopoly saw poverty levels and starvation start to increase, whilst Cambodia’s global economy decrease. Immediately after the genocide, Cambodia’s economy was dominated by subsistent agriculture. The share of employment in agriculture decline from 72% in 1993 to 65% in 2010. The change highlights the transformation of economy from an agricultural base to an industrial and services base. Despite the state of restricted economy for agriculture during and after the Khmer rogue, the genocide had significantly less impact on the logn term economy compared to the major impact on the short term Cambodian