Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian communist movement whose radical agrarian revolution caused one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. Born Saloth Sar to a prosperous farming family, he was radicalized in Paris in the 1950s before returning to lead the Cambodian communist insurgency.
After the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975, they evacuated cities, abolished money, and attempted to create an agrarian utopia they called 'Year Zero.' The result was catastrophe. Approximately 1.5-2 million people—a quarter of Cambodia's population—died from execution, starvation, disease, and forced labor.
The regime targeted intellectuals, ethnic minorities, religious groups, and anyone suspected of opposition. The Killing Fields became synonymous with mass murder. Vietnam's 1979 invasion ended the regime, but Pol Pot remained active until captured by his own movement in 1997. He died under house arrest in 1998, never facing international justice. His legacy haunts Cambodia.