Muammar Gaddafi, Libya

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PN5Tr1toSk&t=34s

Did Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship benefit Libya in some way?

Dictatorship was first established in 510 B.C, from that point on rulers all over the world have
taken this alternative as a way of absolute authority. Although through history dictatorship
has been mainly recognised as a tyrannical and brutal type of government it may have had
some minimal positive aspects that could or could not benefit the zone ruled by their
respective dictator.

Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi also called Colonel Gaddafi governed Libya as a
dictator for almost 42 years, from 1969 to 2011. He was born between 1940-1943 (no exact
date) in Qasr Abu Hadi, Italia Libya, and died in October 20 2011 in Sirte, Libya. He came
from a small tribal group with no influence, his mother was named Aisha and his father
Mohammad. Although at the time in Libya eduation wasn’t free his dad incisted in him to
study so he studied in a local elementary school in Sirte were he had to sleep away from
home during the week to assist. He was bothered at school by other kids for beign Bedouin
but he wasn’t ashammed of his roots. A while after he and his family moved to Fezzan were
he began secondary school in this school he was accepted by others and at that age he
started showing interest for Arab Nacionalist Activism and organizing presentations with
visual aids were he judged monarchy. But he had to move to Misrata due to his previous
inapropiate behaviour during a protest were him a other 20 students provoked disorder a
broke windows from a hotel that supposedly served alcohol (which went agaisnt their
religious beliefs). In Misrata he continued studying and continued with his personal opinion
about Arab Nacionalist Activism. He also studied a short period at the University of Libya
but dropped out to join the military forces. And trained at the Royal Military Academy from
which he graduated in 1965. In 1969 Muammar Gaddafi became Libya’s leader after
overthrowing the country’s government. And with time he showed people how dangerous he
could be, and was given several nicknames,Ronald Reagan gave him mad dog because he
is “too wildly dangerous to confront directly; or, later, a harmless buffoon who paraded in
absurd costumes and made uproarious speeches” Gaddafi was first wed in 1969 to Fatiha
Al-Nuri but it only lasted a year and in 1970 he married Safia Farkash until 2011. He had
eight children: Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, Ayesha Gaddafi, Moatassem-Billah Gaddafi, Al-Saadi
Qadhafi, Khamis Gaddafi, Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi, Saif Al-Arab Al-Gaddafi and
Muhammad Gaddafi. After his 42 year rule Gaddafi died the 20 of October of 2011 after
beign already captured during the Sirte war and then attacked and killed by the rebel forces.

Before Gaddafi was in power the one in charge was Idris King of Libya, he was first in power
in 1951, in 1960 Idri’s popularity decreased due to the rise in the level of corruption with the
exploitation of oil wealth and his weak regime. In 1969 Idris was overthrowed by Gaddafi.
After his military training Gaddafi made useful connections that would help him overthrow
King Idris and gain the power over Libya. In September 1, 1969 Gaddafi and other young
officers seized power in a bloodless revolution. Muammar Gaddafi was the one leading the
coup and all of the operation. The day of the revolution Idris was currently in Turkey and
Greece for a medical treatment and he was able to fool everyone into thinking that the
revolution he led was the country's senior military leadership that everyone in Libya knew
would happen but at the time no one knew who was the one that led the coup until the next
week when Libyans discovered that the military cars that on september 1st had entered the
government offices and communication centers weren’t the ones from the senior military
leadership that was also ending Idris’s rule, but the ones from Libya’s next ruler Muammar
Gaddafi (at the time 27 years old).

During Gaddafi’s rule he created his own government system were he supported radical
armed groups , and the country’s name was changed two times from Libyan Arab Republic
to Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. He also made alianzes with Cuba during
Fidel’s ruling and with the Eastern Bloc who also supported rebel movements. His
government was known for participating in terorrisim because he bombed towns, opened
fires, hanged dead students in the middle of the streets, orchestrated invasions to near
countries, and possibly was the author of the Pan Am flight explosion in 1988.

Muammar Gaddafi was considered a dictator and absolute leader not only for the way in
which he aproched to power but also because of the desitions he took throughout his time of
ruling. He killed people with no such punishment, he violated his people’s privacy by spying
on them with different strategies, he also filled all of the political positions with people that
were only loyal to him such as his family and tribu members and had made pretty clear that
he is the only one with a word and opinion in the country.

Opinions on Gaddafi varied through time, the majority of his people loved him because he
nationalized the oil industry, made health care and education free, he created the biggest
irrigation system for people to get suffitient water and ended with the class system. Others
feared him and hated him because he violated privacy, he took lifes, and didn’t considered
human rights a pririority. On 2011 Libyan rebels began a civil war agaist Gaddafi. On august
20 of that year rebels entered into Gaddafi’s home (Tripoli) were they ended his government,
later as mentioned previously Muammar Gaddafi was killed.

Personally i think Muammar Gaddafi didn’t managed his power in the way he should have
because one thing is inspiring respect and another one is inspiring fear in others. But after all
the investigation i have came to the conclusion that it was fundamental for Libya to have
Muammar’s leadership because he benefited the countries economy hugely and without his
42 years in power Libya wouldn’t have develop that much. After Gaddafi’s death Libya has
been even worst than it was before because although the citizens didn’t had an opinion we
could say that they lived in good conditions, and nowadays it is told that it would take years
to develop a new national identity for the country,

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idris_of_Libya#Overthrow_and_exile
https://www.quora.com/What-do-Libyans-think-about-Gaddafi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Libya_under_Muammar_Gaddafi#Libyan_Arab_Rep
ublic_(1969%E2%80%931977)
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/muammar-gaddafi-3727.php
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/how-qaddafi-fooled-libya-and-the-
world/247078/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-rise-and-fall-of-libyan-leader-mo
ammar-gaddafi/2011/02/21/gIQA32NsdJ_story.html?utm_term=.b5cdf813901c
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_Gaddafi#Personal_life
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/moammar-gaddafi-an-erratic-leader-brutal-and-defiant-to-t
he-end-569831
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12532929
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12688033
https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-ten-things-about-gaddafi-they-dont-want-you-to-know/54
14289
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0223/Muammar-Qaddafi-Five-ways-Liby
a-s-leader-has-held-onto-power/How-absolute-is-his-power
https://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/20/world/libya-civil-war-fast-facts/index.html