Muammar Gaddafi
Libyan statesman and military leader, dictator.
Born between 1940 and 1942 in the city of Sirte. From a young age, he was an active member of Arab underground paramilitary groups. In 1969, as a captain, he carried out a military coup in Libya, overthrowing the Idris I monarchy.
During Gaddafi's rule all foreign military bases were withdrawn from the territory of Libya, as well as deported 20 thousand Italians permanently residing in the country. Banks and oil companies were nationalized.
Gaddafi is the author of a new peculiar concept of social development - Jamahiriya, the main ideas of which are set out in his "Green Book".Foreign policy of Libya during the reign of Gaddafi was characterized by increased aggressiveness, which in different periods led to military conflicts with neighboring countries.
On December 21, 1988, Libyan security services organized the bombing of the American passenger plane "Boeing 747", which killed 270 people. On September 19, 1989, Libyan security services blew up another plane heading from Brazzaville to Paris, killing 170 people. In 1992, the UN Security Council imposed harsh sanctions against Libya. With the payment of large compensations to the relatives of the victims, in 2003 the sanctions were lifted from Libya.
In the spring of 2011, a mass uprising against the Gaddafi regime began in Libya. The uprising led to thousands of civilian casualties and the intervention of NATO forces in the conflict. At the moment, the country is split into two parts.
