The Khmer Rouge were a communist party that ruled over Cambodia from 1975-1979. It was led by Pol Pot, and followed a Marxist and ultra-nationalist philosophy. They are estimated to have killed up to 3 million people including the religious, intellectuals, political dissidents and ethnic minorities. People were forced from the cities into the countryside to become subsistence farmers. Because the events took place in Asia, many in the west are unaware of what took place.
I had the opportunity to visit some landmarks in Phnom Penh, including The Killing Fields, where at least a million were killed and buried, and the Tuol Sleng prison, where thousands were imprisoned and executed. It is important that we learn about these events in history, so we do not travel down the same path. When I see people resorting to violence or weaponizing government over political and cultural disagreements, I just think of the Khmer Rouge murdering scores of people, who simply had a different view of how things should be ran.