IN THE SHADOWS OF UTOPIA
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EPISODES

A Khmer Rouge Ideology and Sihanouk's Dark Side

11/1/2023

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Who was Nuon Chea?
What does Buddhism have to do with Khmer Rouge ideology?
Why did Sihanouk sever ties with the United States?
 
Time Period Covered 1963 - 1965

In this episode we explore the impact of the fateful year of 1963 in Cambodia, as well as the circumstances that the new Cambodian communist leadership were dealing with in the Vietnamese jungle. We also look at the difference between two influential future leaders of Democratic Kampuchea; Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, as they play quite different roles for the organisation.

This episode also explores the relationship between Theravada Buddhist language, grammar and thought and the way this was utilised by the Khmer Rouge to transplant communist ideas into Cambodian minds.

Finally, the episode concludes by explaining the reasons surrounding Sihanouk's distancing from the US and eventual cutting off of US aid and relations between the two countries.

Sources

Philip Short Pol Pot: History of a Nightmare
David Chandler The Tragedy of Cambodian History & Brother Number One
Ben Kiernan How Pol Pot Came to Power
Milton Osbourne Sihanouk
Steve Heder Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model
Norodom Sihanouk My War with the CIA
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17. The Khmer Rouge's New Vanguard

19/4/2022

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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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9. An Introduction to Communism (Pt II)

12/2/2021

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How do you build a society out of the theories of Marx and Engels? Who was Lenin and why is he such an important communist figure? How did communism come to Indochina?

Beginning with Lenin being sent into the fragile Russian Empire in 1917, this episode is a discussion of the evolution of Marxism from 'theory' to 'practise'. This creates a new version of the 'doctrine': 'Marxism-Leninism'. The Russian Revolution in 1917 represents the entrance of a new civilisation onto the globe, one fuelled by the energy of communism. A young Vietnamese man sees this ideology as a potential way for his country to be freed from colonialism, as do many others. The reign of Lenin gives way to Stalin, and terror, as we expand our vocabulary of 'communism' in order to better understand the actions of the Khmer Rouge. 


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8. An Introduction to Communism (Pt I)

12/2/2021

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What is the proletariat? Who wrote the Communist Manifesto? What was the context in which it was written?

Time Period Covered 1842 – 1900

This episode is intended to function as an introduction to the ideas of Marx and Engels, and more broadly to 'communism'. We begin with some common phrases used by the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their cadre that highlight the ideology of the movement. We then depart Southeast Asia for Europe in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, and look at the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as they form a new view of history based on economics and class, and they forecast revolution.

Sources
Friedrich Engels The Conditions of the Working Class in England
Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels The Communist Manifesto
Henri Locard ​Pol Pot's Little Red Book: The Sayings of Angkar


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    Categories
    ​

    All
    Angkor
    Cambodian Civil War
    Communism
    First Indochina War
    French Indochina
    Interviews
    Khmer Rouge Tribunal
    Modern History
    Pre Modern Cambodia
    Saloth Sar
    Second Indochina War


    Providers
    ​

    The show is available on all major podcast providers and YouTube. Just search for "In the Shadows of Utopia" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

    Visit Audioboom for a full list of listening options


    Credit
    ​

    All Episodes Written, Recorded and Produced by Lachlan Peters ​©

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  • About
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