Who was monarch khadafi

1. Rise to power: the young army captain who toppled a king

A 27‑year‑old army captain from a Bedouin background led a bloodless coup on 1 September 1969 that deposed King Idris I and installed a Revolutionary Command Council with Gaddafi as its dominant figure, bringing him to de facto power in Libya ^{[5] [3]}. Born near Sirte in the early 1940s and educated briefly at the University of Libya before joining the military, Gaddafi was shaped by Arab nationalist thinkers such as Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and by revolutionary currents of the era ^{[1] [6]}.

2. Governance and ideology: the Green Book and "state of the masses" experiments

Gaddafi articulated a political vision he called the Third International Theory and styled Libya as a "Jamahiriya" — a state of the masses meant to replace conventional parliamentarianism — ideas he promoted in the Green Book and through reorganizations of Libyan political institutions ^{[3] [7]}. Practically, his rule centralized power around revolutionary committees and his personal authority even as he framed policies in populist, anti‑colonial language; his governance was seen as eccentric and confrontational on the international stage ^{[2] [4]}.

3. Domestic policy: social gains shadowed by repression

Under Gaddafi, Libya used oil revenues to expand free education and state benefits, with per‑capita income rising substantially by some measures, yet political freedoms were tightly restricted and opponents faced harsh punishment, contributing to deep divisions within Libyan society ^{[3] [1]}. Sources note both improvements in social indicators and widespread accusations of human rights violations and authoritarian rule, reflecting the dual nature of his domestic record ^{[1] [3]}.

4. Foreign policy and international pariah status

Gaddafi pursued an assertive, often controversial foreign policy: he supported liberation movements and insurgent groups across Africa and beyond, which won him some regional influence but also condemnation and isolation from Western governments for alleged links to terrorism, including the Lockerbie bombing and other incidents that led to punitive actions such as U.S. air strikes in the 1980s ^{[3] [4]}. At times he sought rapprochement — later acknowledging responsibility for Lockerbie and agreeing to dismantle weapons programs — but much of his international reputation remained defined by past sponsorships of militant actors and erratic diplomacy ^[4].

5. Downfall and death: Arab Spring to violent end

The 2011 Arab Spring protests escalated into a civil war between Gaddafi’s forces and rebel groups backed by NATO, culminating in the fall of Sirte, his capture by anti‑Gaddafi fighters, and his death in October 2011, after which Libyan transitional authorities declared the country "liberated," ending his four‑decade rule ^{[3] [2]}. The conflict exposed both the fragility of institutions built around his person and the violent fragmentation that followed his removal ^[3].

6. Legacy and contested memory

Gaddafi remains a polarizing figure: some Libyans and pan‑African constituencies recall state investments and anti‑imperialist stances, while human‑rights groups, Western governments, and many Libyans emphasize repression, sponsorship of violence, and the chaos that followed his overthrow; scholars and journalists vary in emphasis, and transliterations of his name alone reflect the contested international discourse around him ^{[8] [9] [10]}. Available reporting documents both the material changes in Libya under his rule and the severe costs of authoritarian governance, but assessments diverge sharply depending on which aspects—social programs, repression, international behavior—are foregrounded ^{[3] [1]}.