When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution, Revised Edition
Nov 1998 · Sold by PublicAffairs
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The "definitive" (Los Angeles Times), award-winning history of Cambodia and Pol Pot's rise to power, tracing the country's modern origins to the human rights abuses that reshaped it forever
Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Becker started covering Cambodia in 1973 for The Washington Post, when the country was perceived as little more than a footnote to the Vietnam War. Then, with the rise of the Khmer Rouge in 1975 came the closing of the border and a systematic reorganization of Cambodian society. Everyone was sent from the towns and cities to the countryside, where they were forced to labor endlessly in the fields. The intelligentsia were brutally exterminated, and torture, terror, and death became routine. Ultimately, almost two million people—nearly a quarter of the population—were killed in what was one of this century's worst crimes against humanity.
When the War Was Over is Elizabeth Becker's masterful account of the Cambodian nightmare. Encompassing the era of French colonialism and the revival of Cambodian nationalism; 1950s Paris, where Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot received his political education; the killing fields of Cambodia; government chambers in Washington, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh; and the death of Pol Pot in 1998; this is a book of epic vision and staggering power. Merging original historical research with the many voices of those who lived through the times and exclusive interviews with every Cambodian leader of the past quarter century, When the War Was Over illuminates the darkness of Cambodia with the intensity of a bolt of lightning.
Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Becker started covering Cambodia in 1973 for The Washington Post, when the country was perceived as little more than a footnote to the Vietnam War. Then, with the rise of the Khmer Rouge in 1975 came the closing of the border and a systematic reorganization of Cambodian society. Everyone was sent from the towns and cities to the countryside, where they were forced to labor endlessly in the fields. The intelligentsia were brutally exterminated, and torture, terror, and death became routine. Ultimately, almost two million people—nearly a quarter of the population—were killed in what was one of this century's worst crimes against humanity.
When the War Was Over is Elizabeth Becker's masterful account of the Cambodian nightmare. Encompassing the era of French colonialism and the revival of Cambodian nationalism; 1950s Paris, where Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot received his political education; the killing fields of Cambodia; government chambers in Washington, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh; and the death of Pol Pot in 1998; this is a book of epic vision and staggering power. Merging original historical research with the many voices of those who lived through the times and exclusive interviews with every Cambodian leader of the past quarter century, When the War Was Over illuminates the darkness of Cambodia with the intensity of a bolt of lightning.
The "definitive" (Los Angeles Times), award-winning history of Cambodia and Pol Pot's rise to power, tracing the country's modern origins to the human rights abuses that reshaped it forever
Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Becker started covering Cambodia in 1973 for The Washington Post, when ...
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Dameon Fowler
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August 15, 2023
Dedication, anger and paranoia led this revolution. At the start of this story we hear of endless hard labor from a man stripped away from any sort of warm loving life. As we continue we hear the politics that was building up to the Khmer Rouge's explosion. Then we hear exciting tactics from not only the Khmer Rouge but from the God King Sihanouk. After all the tactics we see Pol Pot's dedication become a nightmare and those who didn't fit into his twisted world met his men's determined eyes and recieve the worst paranoid punishments this world has to offer. The Khmer Rouge may have been dedicated and angry about all the things that happened to them in the old world but the only thing they were building here was a place of cold torment with lifeless lives. The policies and pushes must have come from the worst horror science fiction fantasies because the world they were trying to build up to was nothing but a nightmare.
About the author
Elizabeth Becker is an award-winning journalist and author who began her career as a war correspondent for the Washington Post in Cambodia. The French movie Meeting with Pol Pot is based on her life. She is the author of four books, including You Don't Belong Here and Overbooked. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Becker is an award-winning journalist and author who began her career as a war correspondent for the Washington Post in Cambodia. The French movie Meeting with Pol Pot is based on her life. She is the author of four books, including You Don't Belong Here and Overbooked. She lives in Was...
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