When the Libya war broke out in 2011, the once invincible Gaddafi was beaten to the ground, and was finally captured by the opposition in his hometown of Sirte, where he was brutally abused and shot to death by opposition forces.
Before he died, he was dragged for more than 40 meters, wiping tears from his hands and begging for mercy, and the opposition forces also filmed this scene with their mobile phones, and it is really embarrassing that the eagles of North Africa fell so far.
So, what's the story? Today, let's review the course of Gaddafi's reign and the final outcome.
The rise of Gaddafi
Born into a poor Bedouin peasant family in 1942, Gaddafi witnessed much poverty and injustice as a teenager, and these experiences planted the seeds of rebellion and change in his heart.
Years later, Gaddafi entered the military academy and quickly showed extraordinary military talent and leadership skills, quickly rose to prominence in the Libya army at the age of 27, and secretly established the "Free Officers Organization".
On September 1, 1969, King Idris I of Libya was on vacation in Turkey, and the domestic political situation was ostensibly calm. However, Gaddafi, a young officer, is plotting a revolution, a coup d'état that will not fire a single shot.
In the early hours of September 1, Gaddafi and his followers quietly surrounded and occupied key parts of the Libya government, and the king's personal guards and senior generals were quickly arrested.
The coup d'état was completed overnight, with almost no bloodshed, and soon the Republic of Libya was proclaimed, and Gaddafi became the head of state and began a new rule.
In the early days of his presidency, Gaddafi embarked on a series of reforms aimed at breaking away from Western control and achieving the country's independence and prosperity.
First of all, the policy of nationalizing oil and nationalizing the assets of foreign oil companies has greatly increased Libya's oil revenues and provided an important guarantee for the country's economic development.
A series of social reforms, including land reform, free education and health care, led to a significant improvement in the living conditions of the Libya people, and Gaddafi won widespread popularity.
At the same time, he actively promoted pan-Arabism and African unity in the international arena, tried to achieve the unification of the Arab world and African countries, and became the "king of kings" in the hearts of many African kings for a time.
Human desires are limitless, and as the regime is consolidated, Gaddafi gradually reveals his dictatorial and greedy nature, dissolving the traditional government institutions and replacing them with a revolutionary command council controlled by himself, which is equivalent to concentrating all power in his own hands.
Since then, Qaddafi has cracked down on his political opponents, and any opposition has been swiftly suppressed. In order to consolidate his rule, he also developed a cult of personality and promoted his heroic image, with photographs and statues scattered throughout the country, and his textbooks were full of praise.
Gaddafi also wrote a "Green Book" that systematically expounded his political philosophy and emphasized the importance of "direct democracy" and "people's councils", but these theories were only intended to conceal the essence of dictatorship.
As time went on, Qaddafi's rule became increasingly corrupt and extravagant, with the family controlling the country's most important economic sector and earning tens of billions of dollars a year from state revenues, while ordinary people continued to live in dire straits.
He owned a lavish private palace in the capital, Tripoli, with internal facilities comparable to those of ancient royal palaces; Always surrounded by a group of young and beautiful female bodyguards, who are not only responsible for daily security, but also responsible for daily life.
Female bodyguards are strictly selected and trained, with extraordinary skills and a certain degree of cultural literacy, and Gaddafi is very fond of these female bodyguards, often taking them to various public events.
The rest of the Gaddafi family also lived in luxury, and Gaddafi's son spent a lot of money at home and abroad, a spendthrift that contrasted sharply with the poor of Libya and eventually caused strong discontent among the people.
The global financial crisis erupted in 2008 and Libya's oil revenues plummeted, making life more difficult for ordinary people, and more and more people began to question the rule of the Gaddafi family, and the opposition was growing louder.
In the international community, Gaddafi's policy of foreign expansion has also made the international community increasingly dissatisfied with his regime, and a crisis is brewing.
Revolutionary waves and the collapse of regimes
In February 2011, Libya was affected by the "Arab Spring", and the opposition launched a nationwide mass protest to demand Gaddafi's resignation, and Gaddafi quickly sent troops to suppress the campaign.
What was supposed to be a protest march quickly turned into a nationwide armed uprising as the military's involvement changed and the opposition took control of several cities in eastern Libya for a short period of time, putting the Gaddafi regime in jeopardy.
The international community also began to exert pressure on Gaddafi, and the United Nations passed a resolution on economic sanctions and armed intervention in Libya, and soon Britain, France, the United States and other countries launched joint air strikes on Libya.
The offensive of the opposition has intensified, the international community has intervened by force, and Gaddafi and his supporters have been defeated. When Libya opposition captured the capital, Tripoli, in August 2011, Gaddafi was forced to flee with his family and cronies.
On the run, he changed hiding locations to avoid capture, eventually escaping to his hometown of Sirte. The reason why he chose this place is that he still has some loyal supporters in the local area, and he can turn defeat into victory at critical moments.
It's a pity that Gaddafi fled quickly, and the rebels also came quickly, and Gaddafi and his cronies had to hide in abandoned houses around Sirte, living in extremely poor conditions.
On October 20, the opposition launched an attack on the hideout of Qaddafi's supporters under the informant of the captives, and finally found him in the sewer pipes.
The sewer pipes were narrow and dark, and Qaddafi was dressed in gray clothes, with messy hair and a face covered in dust and sewage.
His eyes showed exhaustion and despair, still trying to find a chance of life, and a soldier shot Gaddafi in the vital point, and the latter's body trembled violently, blood gushed from the wound, and was finally dragged out of the pipe by the soldier.
Unconscious and mumbling to himself, he was abused and beaten by armed men, wiping tears from his eyes and begging for mercy, his face and head were covered in blood, his nose was bruised and swollen, and soldiers used their mobile phones to take pictures of his abuse, which were then widely disseminated.
In the end, Gaddafi was dragged for more than 40 meters and put into a jeep, where he died for some reason.
There are two theories about this incident, one is that a shootout broke out here on the road and Gaddafi was accidentally killed, and the other is that Gaddafi was abused to death.
Whatever he thought, the self-proclaimed "king of African kings" dictator who ruled Libya for 42 years ended his life in tragic fashion.
After learning that Gaddafi had been killed, the soldiers waved cheers to celebrate the victory, after which several of Gaddafi's sons were either arrested or killed, and the legend of the former "golden family" of Libya came to an end.
The carnival and hidden worries of the whole country
After Gaddafi's death, the body was dragged behind a car and paraded through the streets, and the whole country of Libya was thrown into revelry, and countless people took to the streets, sharing their inner joy and excitement, and cheering Libya for a new era.
After the death of Gaddafi and Mutassim, their bodies were not immediately buried, as is customary in Islam, but were transferred to a meat cold room in Misrat for public display, where they were displayed in cold storage for several days until the bodies were secretly buried by the Transitional Committee for Decomposing Bodies.
It is reported that the four chosen executors transported Gaddafi to an undisclosed location, and in order to prevent the cemetery from becoming a "holy place" for supporters, the four also vowed never to reveal the location of the cemetery.
From the glory of his establishment of power, to his extravagant life, to his escape from the collapse of the regime, the story of Gaddafi is full of twists and turns. However, while his death calmed the anger of the opposition, it did not end the turmoil in Libya.
Supporters proclaim revenge, some loyal followers continue to operate at home and abroad in an attempt to restore Gaddafi's influence, Libya enters the "post-Gaddafi era", and the country's development path remains full of thorns and challenges.
Gaddafi's death does not mean that Libya is all smooth sailing, and there is still no future in sight, and ordinary people have not benefited much from it.
The armed forces supporting Gaddafi still exist, the fighting continues, the future of Libya is still uncertain, and the peace and prosperity that the people expect will take time.
Looking back, Gaddafi's history from a young military officer to a dictator to a tragic end overthrown by the people is full of irony and lessons, perhaps he brought Libya a brief period of prosperity, but eventually lost popular support and demise due to greed and dictatorship.
History has once again proved that those who win the hearts of the people win the world, and those who lose the hearts of the people will eventually perish, and the story of Gaddafi also reminds us that power must be checked and monitored, and only leaders who truly win the hearts and minds of the people can stay in power for a long time.
What do you think differently about this lesson, which not only applies to the past, but also has far-reaching implications for social governance today and in the future?
Reference: Review of Gaddafi's 42 years in power: long-term anti-Western merits and demerits are controversial——Chinanews (chinanews.com.cn)
Details of Gaddafi's fugitive life revealed: often read books and do not command battles_News_Sina (sina.com.cn)
Real shot: The video of Gaddafi was exposed at the moment before his death, begging soldiers to spare their lives (photo)|Gaddafi|soldiers_Phoenix Information (ifeng.com)