LIBYAN

REVOLUTION

BY:
TENZIN, SALMA, MARZIA, ANGELICA,
SKYLER

PHASE 1:

Gaddafi was in office since September 1, 1969 in a bloodless coup detat.1 He

seized power from the absolute monarchy of King Idris.2 Gaddafi had been in power for
nearly 42 years. He governed the country based on his personal ideology known most
commonly as the Third International Theory. This was a type of communist government. 3
Many of his supporters praised him for his anti-imperialist disposition. On the other hand,
he was culpable of being dictator globally and an autocrat whose domineering authority
violated the human rights of Libyan citizens, and supported warfare and terrorism in
1

Col. Muammar Gaddafi Seizes Power in Libya

King Idris : The first and only king of Libya.
Gaddafi the Populist Socialist

countless other nations.4 Gaddafi was very similar to King Louis XVI because they were
both fascist dictators who took advantage of their power by putting the needs of their
citizens last.

PHASE 2:

Parry, Tom. "Libya: Colonel Gaddafi Supported Terror Around the World", Aug 23, 2011

Gaddafi approved of violence and terrorism. In the Mirror.uk article, Tom Parry
says, Since taking power in 1969, Colonel Gaddafi has supported terrorists around the
world to cause maximum harm to his opponents. He coordinated massacres and funded
extremists organizations. In 1973, he shipped ammunition to the IRA to attack British
interests. Terror attacks escalated years later, and dissidents were executed and
broadcasted on live television.5 The citizens were enraged that Gaddafi took advantage of
his power and used it to support terrorist groups with the governments money. Gaddafi
raised taxes and gas prices on citizens, this money went to the government so its as if the

Parry, Tom. "Libya: Colonel Gaddafi Supported Terror Around the World", Aug 23, 2011

citizens were giving money to the terrorists. This is similar to the Reign of Terror during
the French Revolution because both of the countrys citizens went against their leader
and many people lost their lives.

PHASE 3:
According Libyan Profile BBC News it states that on October 20,2011 Colonel
Gaddafi was captured and killed. This happened during the Battle of Sirte at around 8:30.
Gaddafi, his army chief Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr, his security chief Mansour Dhao, and a
group of loyalists tried to escape in 75 vehicles. A high air force noticed them moving,
the NATO aircraft fired on some of the vehicles but destroyed only one. A U.S. Predator

drone fired missiles at them as well. After a while, French Air Force jets continued
bombing at them. The NATO bombed most of them and killed a lot of the loyalist
fighters. Muammar Gaddafi, his son Mutassim, and defense minister Abu-Bakr Yunis
Jabr stayed in a nearby house after the airstrikes damaged the vehicle in front of
Gaddafis car. They were then protected by National Transitional Council forces. Gaddafi
survived the strikes and took refuge with several bodyguards. A nearby group of NTC
fighters started firing, that got Gaddafi with gunshots to his leg and back. According to
one NTC fighter, one of Gaddafi's own men also shot him in order to save him from
being arrested. A group of rebels approached the pipe where Gaddafi was hiding and
ordered him to come out. He then did slowly. He was then dragged up to his feet as rebels
shouted "Muammar, Muammar!. Shortly afterwards Gaddafi was killed. According to
BBC News : Libyas Col Muammar Gaddafi killed,says NTC 20, October 2011. He
confirmed that Col Gaddafi had been taken alive, but died of bullet wounds minutes
before reaching hospital. 6 This shows that when they first found him they didnt kill
him but later on he got shot.
This was similar to the French Revolution because the citizens of France have
killed King Louis XVI as they did here in Libya, 2011 to Gaddafi. Both have killed their
dictator because they didn't like their actions and had no freedom when trying to go
against them.

"Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi Killed, says NTC", October 20, 2011

PHASE 4:

After Gaddafi died, Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, the Former Vice Chairmen of the
National Transitional Council of Libya, took over. Some people thought he was a good
leader but others, on the other hand, thought he wasnt doing the best that he could. The
Libyans protested against Ghoga and the government for various reasons. The new
Libyan government was wrestling a number of issues, including disbanding the militias
who have carved the country up into rival fiefdoms, forming police and military forces
and creating jobs for thousands of jobless youths. The government were also dealing with

financial issues such as, how billions of dollars in Libyan assets were being spent.7 This
infuriated Libyans causing them to rebel against their country.
This is similar to the French Revolution because after King Louis XVI was
overthrown and killed, the French government had a tug of war because they didnt
know the right decisions to make.When people thought that both of the revolutions were
over, they were wrong. Even though the leaders were killed, another group of citizens
started to form and protest about how the government was running. The financial
problems were also similar to the French Revolution because Marie Antoinette spent
most of the citizens tax money on frivolous things.8

Reuters. "Libyan Protesters Attack Vice-President Abdul Hafiz Ghoga as Unrest Grows Over Nation's
New Leaders", January 19, 2012
8

BBC "History of King Louis XVI

PHASE 5:

Since the strongman fell, the U.S. had evacuated the embassy in Libya. The people
of libya were experiencing some of the worst violence since the fall of long time dictator
Moammar Qaddafi in 2011. They were still experiencing violent breakouts that were ten
times worse than the ones before. Libya is continuing to fall, making little progress since
Gaddafis death in 2011.The conflict became more dangerous after state department
officials confirmed that rebels had access to military grade weapons including anti
aircraft weapons that may be used against civilian aviation. 9 Also, Libyas health

Mohney, Gillian. "What Is Happening In Libya", July 26, 2014

ministry said clashes between the militias at the Tripoli airport killed 47 people in 24
hours. Libya is still currently undergoing violent attacks, no improvement.

Hey everyone! You did an excellent job providing clear and concise information
on Libyas revolution. However, I wanted to see more of a comparison between France
and Libya. I was worried that most groups would focus on the writing so much that the
art would look rushed and simplistic. You all had the opposite problem. Your artwork is
BEAUTIFUL, and conceptually very clever. However, you barely have any analytical
insight on the comparison between the French Revolution and Libyas current one. Also,
you did not have any titles to the phases- which is very confusing. You added an extra
phase, which is admirable, but it seems arbitrary if you do not organize it using titles. I
feel/hope that you got more out of this unit than you are showing me here. I guess I will
find out when I read your thematic essays. I am very proud of your artistic prowess and
your excellent research on Libya- but the purpose of the research is to see if it followed
the same trajectory as the French Revolution.