PODCAST

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare

Lachlan Peters

A comprehensive, long-form history podcast about Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot Regime.

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All Episodes

78:17

S2 Ep27: Bonus Episode: "Prisoners of Class" with...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/03/21

Lachlan sits down with Matt Madden, translator of Chan Samoeun’s Prisoners of Class. The book, having been recently released in English for the first time, is an amazing example of a Khmer Rouge survivor memoir.They discuss Matt’s journey in finding the original book, meeting the author and translating it over many years. The book itself, including amazing details and descriptions of the world of the ‘life slave’ in Democratic Kampuchea, are discussed and thought about, as well as the

92:00

S2 Ep26: Tet

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/02/05

What did the Tet offensive achieve?How was the Battle of Hue waged? Why were almost 3000 people murdered by the Viet Cong? Time Period Covered 1968 This episode covers the Tet Offensive of early 1968. Lachlan links the media coverage of the event, with the extreme scenes in Saigon, to the reality of the offensive and what the communists hoped to achieve. In Hue, perhaps the most stunning battle of the offensive took place, as for four weeks the city was occupied by the NVA and NLF. During this

111:45

S2 Ep25: The Cambodian Civil War Begins - Part Two: A...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2023/11/26

How did the CPK develop their plan to genuinely start a war in Cambodia? Why did Sihanouk seek rapprochment with the United States? How did the bombing of Cambodia begin? Time Period Covered 1967-1968 January 1968 will prove to be a pivotal month for the Vietnamese, Cambodian and American interests in the war. This episode details how the Cambodian communist movement finally began an armed struggle against the Sihanouk government. How the United States negotiated a deal to bomb Cambodia, and how

71:03

S2 Ep24: Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2023/10/01

What led to Mao's launching of a 'cultural revolution' in the People's Republic? What were the aims of this movement? Why did perhaps a million people die at the hands of their countrymen in less than four years? Time Period Covered 1964 - 1969 In what could be considered a belated "Part Two" to the episode introducing Maoism and the Great Leap Forward, Lachlan revisits China and attempts to explain the "Cultural Revolution". Officially launched in 1966, this period of chaos, an example of a

51:15

S2: Bonus Episode: "Son Ngoc Thanh, a Khmer...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2023/08/03

Special guest Matthew Jagel joins Lachlan to talk about his new book: Khmer Nationalist. The book is an exploration of Cambodian history using Son Ngoc Thanh as the central focus, and they join up to talk about Cambodian nationalism, the influence of Imperial Japan, Sihanouk's antagonism, the Khmer Serei and the CIA. Visit https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501769337/khmer-nationalist/ to purchase the book or find Matthew on social media at https://twitter.com/matthew_jagel?s=20 or

94:23

S2 Ep23: The Cambodian Civil War Begins - Part One:...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2023/07/10

What was the Samlaut Rebellion, and how did it start? Who was responsible for this outbreak of violence? What leads to Khieu Samphan disappearing over night? Time Period Covered 1967 In the first part of an explanation of how the Cambodian Civil War begins, Lachlan looks into the circumstances which lead to an outbreak of violence in the province of Battambang. Then on April 2, 1967, a series of murders turns into a genuine eruption of peasant unrest and government reprisal; the Samlaut

120:40

S2 Ep22: Rolling Thunder in Vietnam, Clouds Over...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2023/03/02

How does the "Vietnam War" begin? How did the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) get its name? Why did Sihanouk start making so many movies in the 1960's? Time Period Covered 1964 - 1967 In this episode, Lachlan revisits Vietnam as LBJ wages war upon the North and the Viet Cong. Pol Pot leaves the jungle to visit Hanoi, and Beijing, and changes the direction of Khmer Communism. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Sihanouk begins losing his magic touch as various quarters become less enamoured with his

96:55

S2 Ep21: A Khmer Rouge Ideology and Sihanouk's Dark Side

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2022/11/15

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

107:24

S2 Ep20: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2022/07/07

What is Agent Orange and why did the Kennedy Administration decide to use it? How did Diem's Regime collapse? What was the Buddhist Crisis? Time Period Covered 1961 - 1963 In the final part of our exploration into the beginnings of the "Vietnam War", we look at the circumstances surrounding the early Kennedy years and how a 'prudent' approach to South Vietnam resulted in a number of problems, both immediate and in the future. We look in depth at Operation Ranch Hand, the decision to use

80:09

S2 Ep19: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2022/05/27

How did a succession of US administrations become stuck in Vietnam? How did Diem's policies create the conditions for insurgency? What did the early activities of the NLF look like? Time Period Covered 1954 - 1961 In part two of our exploration of the path to the Second Indochina War, we focus on early American efforts to create a stable regime in South Vietnam. The activities of the CIA and Edward Lansdale in the aftermath of Geneva are used to introduce this relationship, as well as the

74:58

S2 Ep18: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2022/05/01

What occurred in a divided Vietnam in the aftermath of the Geneva Accords? How did so many die during the North Vietnamese “Land Reform Campaign”? Why was South Vietnam described as an ‘emerging fascist state’? Time Period Covered 1954 - 1963 In this first part of a kind of mini-series on the origins of the Vietnam War, Lachlan investigates the state building in the divided Vietnam. Exploring the ideology and benefactors of the separate regimes, we touch upon the thousands of those who

83:22

S2 Ep17: The Khmer Rouge's New Vanguard

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2022/02/06

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

163:17

S2 Ep16: Maoism, the Great Leap Forward / Famine and...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2021/12/05

Why was one of the most prominent slogans of the Khmer Rouge about a "super great leap forward"? What is Maoism and why did the People's Republic of China provide a new ideological source for the world? Why did the USSR and the PRC split in the 1960s? Time Period Covered 1949 - 1962 This episode could be considered the third instalment in the history of communist ideology of the series. Lachlan discusses the Chinese Civil War, the People's Republic of China, Mao, Maoism, the circumstances

127:22

S2 Ep15: Les Khmers Rouges: Double Lives in...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2021/07/23

How does the Communist Party of Kampuchea form? How does Saloth Sar become a married man and teacher? What are the consequences of Sihanouk’s neutral foreign policy? Time Period Covered 1955-1960 As peace broke out over Cambodia in the wake of the First Indochina War, the fledgling communist movement had to learn to survive in a newly independent country under the rule of Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Numbers dwindling and unable to openly resist the government, the ‘revolutionary organisation’, as

66:05

S1: Season One Recap - Cambodian History from Angkor...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2021/06/05

This bonus episode is for those who would like to remind themselves of the topics covered in the first season of the podcast, or for new listeners who might want a simple overview of Cambodian history as it relates to the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge. This is an introduction to the themes of the series as a whole, the aims of the podcast, the Khmer Empire, the conditions relating to Cambodia's modernity and the French colonial period. The growth of nationalism, the events of the Second World

157:04

S1 Ep14: The End of French Indochina: Dien Bien Phu,...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2021/04/17

How does the First Indochina War end? What do the Geneva Accords mean for Cambodia? Who wins the 1955 Cambodian general election? Time Period Covered December 1953 – July 1955 Cambodia faces Viet Minh assaults around the country as the First Indochina War comes to its climax, but the French will suffer their most stunning defeat at Dien Bien Phu. World powers will convene to find a solution to the conflict. The resulting ‘peace’ will marginalise the Cambodian communist movement at the expense

97:10

S1 Ep13: Sihanouk’s Royal Crusade for Cambodian...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2021/01/16

How does Cambodian Independence day originate in November 1953? What does the First Indochina War look like in Cambodia? How does a young Pol Pot 'join the maquis'? Time Period Covered January – December 1953 This episode explains the actions of King Sihanouk that one French General declared were ‘that of a madman, but a madman of genius’. Almost out of the blue the Cambodian king will claim independence for his country and end almost a century of French colonial rule. Meanwhile, the First

155:32

S1 Ep12: Pol Pot in Paris and the Khmer Issarak –...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2020/11/09

How did the First Indochina War become part of the Cold War? When did the Khmer students studying in Paris become communists? What influenced Saloth Sar to become a revolutionary? Time Period Covered 1947-1953 This episode explains the way that the first ‘Vietnam War’ began developing into something recognisably part of the Cold War. We also trace the path of the young Pol Pot as his studies in Paris become influenced by a rising influence of communism. Cambodian politics and the return of Son

51:29

S1: Bonus Episode: ‘Extraordinary Justice at the...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2020/09/20

Craig Etcheson is currently visiting scientist at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, and he was a founder of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, he has been studying the Khmer Rouge regime for more than thirty years. He worked as an investigator of the prosecution at the ECCC between 2006-2012, and testified at the tribunal as an expert witness. He recently published a book titled "Extraordinary Justice: Law, Politics, and the Khmer Rouge Tribunals" and in this conversation we get into

125:20

S1 Ep11: Pol Pot in Paris and the Khmer Issarak -...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2020/08/22

What does the anti-colonial scene look like in Cambodia? Who are the Khmer Issarak and how do nationalists and young Cambodian students relate to this movement as well as the growing war in Vietnam with the returning French? Time Period Covered 1945 - 1950 Saloth Sar, the young Pol Pot, will arrive in Paris in October 1949. In this episode we trace the path that he takes to get there, as well as the very important developments in Cambodian and world history that are taking place at this time

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In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare

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