Among the first evidence of the horror, this "killing field" was uncovered in 1980.
Nearly 2 million lives were lost from the Khmer Rouge’s massacre and forced labor. This mean in three years, almost 25% of the country’s population depleted. The genocide was an attempt by Pol Pot to centralize the new agrarian society and mimic Mao’s agricultural model. The genocide began immediately after Lon Nol lost power. Because Lon Nol’s government was sympathetic towards the west, Pol Pot’s regime wanted to purge and reconstruct the country right away. There was a purge of intellectuals, professionals, ethnic groups, and religious people. Pol Pot wanted to have a society of laborers that was self-sustaining. His ideal state soon became a regime that gave its people little freedom, with everyone living in fear and suspicion.
The Cambodian citizens were forced to leave their homes and villages and journey to the collectivized farms. Anyone who opposed these orders were killed immediately along with anyone who showed signs of resisting the the communist doctrines. Many died along the way and the Cambodians that were able to survive after the purge became unpaid workers who lived on rations. The communes of laborers was virtually slavery. People were killed in mass and buried in unmarked graves.