How did Pol Pot become leader of the Khmer Rouge?

 

What did prominent communists like Khieu Samphan do in Sihanouk’s Cambodia?

Were there limits to Sihanouk’s power and tightrope act?

 

Time Period Covered 1960-1963

We begin with a reflection on how Cambodian history can permeate even seemingly mundane spaces, before looking in on a secret communist seminar led by the new leader of the Khmer Rouge. This episode functions as a revisit of some loose ends left as the Cambodian communists began taking their own steps toward having an independent movement from the Vietnamese, as well as how the roles in that party began taking shape. We learn about the mysterious death of Tuo Samouth, as well as the circumstances that precede the vitally important year of 1963.

Apologies for some audio hiccups, this one was recorded in a different location.

 

 Sources

Philip Short Pol Pot: History of a Nightmare

David Chandler The Tragedy of Cambodian History, Brother Number One, A History of Cambodia

Ben Kiernan How Pol Pot Came to Power

Milton Osbourne Sihanouk

Elizabeth Becker When the War was Over

Norodom Sihanouk My War with the CIA

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