Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge

Go to http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm

Here is a video about the Khmer Rouge. Warning: there are a couple of pretty graphic photos for about ten seconds about two minutes into this video from 1:42 to 1:59. The stupas containing the skulls of victims are shown after that point.

Twenty percent of the Cambodian population may have died under Pol Pot’s attempt to enforce a return to “Year Zero” and kill off anyone who had any education or technical training. Cambodia was invaded by Vietnam in 1975, and although eventually Pol Pot was unable to control the entire country, he still operated from the Thai-Cambodian border until finally placed under house arrest by members of the Khmer Rouge who did not agree with his methods. Pol Pot died in 1998.

McCarthy Overview and Interview

Herb Block (Herblock was his penname) was a famous editorial cartoonist in the mid-to-late 20th century. He coined the term “McCarthyism” with this cartoon:

What does the elephant symbolize? What does the tower of tar buckets imply? What is Herblock basically saying about McCarthyism?

Here is an interview of Senator Joseph McCarthy discussing his crusade against communism:

This can also be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LwEZxDqfJc

McCarthy’s downfall was accusing the Army of harboring communists and their sympathizers. Finally, the attorney for the Army, Joseph Welch, says what so many others hadn’t had the guts to say to McCarthy in the clip below, which has become famous. (To set the stage, the Army counter-accused McCarthy of seeking special favors for an associate who had been drafted, and to deflect blame, he accuse Welch himself of harboring a suspected communist sympathizer in his own law office rather than answer the charges against him. Here’s the video, with Mr. Welch being the first speaker:

(This can also be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO2iiovYq70. There are other videos linked to this page listed to the left hand side of the page at youtube if you wish to explore further.)

… and here’s a link to a site that gives the transcript of this confrontation, which is considered to be one of the greatest American speeches: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/welch-mccarthy.html

McCarthy then swiftly fell from power, and the Senate voted to censure him by a 2/3 supermajority. Here is the text of Senate Resolution 301:

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=86&page=transcript

So what eventually happened to McCarthy? Spartacus does a great job summing up his life and death: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm

Excellent timeline of the Red Scare

…at this site: http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/ww1/1919b.html

Also includes a good explanation of the causes of the strikes that happened in 1919.