S3 Ep4: Was Phnom Penh a Ghost Town In Democratic Kampuchea? Patreon Bonus
Lachlan answers a common question about the Khmer Rouge regime:
"What happened to the cities after the evacuation in 1975?"
as well as another question about the terrible practicalities of life once the country was liberated in 1979:
"How did people get their houses back once the Khmer Rouge were gone?"
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Head to https://www.patreon.com/c/shadowsofutopia
or www.shadowsofutopia.com/support
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41:06
S3 Ep3: Pol Pot Rises
Why was Duch released from prison on April 3rd, 1970?
How did Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge transition from small guerrilla enclaves to administering huge areas of Cambodia?
What exactly was “Independence Mastery,” and why was it so central to the Khmer Rouge mindset?
Time Period Covered: April 1970 – July 1971
In this episode, we pivot from Lon Nol’s takeover to the Cambodian communist perspective, exploring how Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge navigated the chaotic months following the coup. We follow Duch’s unexpected release from prison, track Pol Pot’s return journey from Beijing and Hanoi, and see how the Khmer Rouge began absorbing millions of Cambodians into so-called “liberated zones.” Along the way, we delve into the principle of Independence Mastery, the uneasy alliance with the Vietnamese, and the early precursor to S-21 known as M-13. We also uncover the paranoid mindset driving the Khmer Rouge’s suspicion of outside influence, including alleged assassination plots and forced confessions, shadows of the horror to come.
Remember, if you can, to please support the show at www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.
Sources:
Chandler - Tragedy of Cambodian History and Voices From S21
Short - Pol Pot
Kiernan - How Pol Pot Came To Power
ECCC Archives - Duch Trial 2009
Heder - Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model
Edwards - Cambodge
Harris - Buddhism Under Pol Pot
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1:28:29
S3 Ep2: The Invasion - Part Two: A Vietnamese War In Cambodia
Why did Nixon invade Cambodia in May 1970?
What impact did the 'Cambodian Incursion' have on the war in Vietnam?
How did this effect Cambodia?
Time Period Covered: May - June 1970
In part two of our discussion about the situation in Cambodia after the coup which pushed Sihanouk from power, we see how the Nixon Whitehouse responded to the crisis facing Cambodia.
Lachlan asks whether the decision that Nixon and Kissinger made was the right one, or whether there was a correct answer. We look at the circumstances which brought about the decision, what options were on the table, and the impact that Nixon's speech which announced the 'incursion' had. Then we look at the 'Cambodia Campaign' itself, discussing the fighting which overtakes much of the country, and the outcomes this had in the short, and long term.
Remember, if you can, to please support the show at www.shadowsofutopia.com/support
Sources:
Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History”
Short “Pol Pot”
Shawcross “Sideshow”
Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”
Sak Satsukhan “The Khmer Republic at War”
Wilfred Deac “Road to the Killing Fields”
Walter Isaacson “Kissinger”
Kiernan “How Pol Pot Came to Power”
Etcheson “Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea”
James Sterba "G.I's in Cambodia" (New York Times)
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1:45:24
S3 Ep1: The Invasion - Part One: Counting Bodies Floating Down the Mekong
What was the crisis facing the new Cambodian Government in April 1970?
Why were the Vietnamese communities subjected to massacres?
What circumstances led to a US invasion into Cambodia?
Time Period Covered: April 1970
In this episode Lachlan explores the horrible aftermath of the coup against Sihanouk, a panicked new regime produced a pogrom against an innocent group of civilians. The Communist Vietnamese armies take much of the countryside. Journalists disappear as they report on the Vietnam War which had spilled over the border. The Nixon Whitehouse faces a decision.
Apologies for the abrupt ending, part two is basically done and will be out soon!
Please consider supporting the show at https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia
Check out https://www.mekongriverpress.com/mekong-river-press
Sources
Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History”
Short “Pol Pot”
Shawcross “Sideshow”
Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”
Sak Satsukhan “The Khmer Republic at War”
Wilfred Deac “Road to the Killing Fields”
Walter Isaacson “Kissinger”
Kiernan “How Pol Pot Came to Power”
Etcheson “Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea”
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1:22:24
S2 Ep19: Season 2 Recap - Cambodian History from Independence to Civil War
Lachlan takes you back through the more than 30 hours of Season 2's storyline that took us through 15 years of Cambodian history.
Support the show at https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.html
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