On September 1, 1969, Muammar Gaddafi took over Libya by leading a group of military commanders in a coup against King Idris. Gadaffi was a leader that split people. He made the country more stable, got the most money out of its oil deposits, and passed certain legislation that were good for women's rights. But some thought his leadership was harsh and almost totalitarian, with claims of corruption and brutality against political opponents. He was also seen as an international outcast who was a big supporter of terrorism against the West.
The Arab Spring movement in 2011 led to the fall of the governments of Tunisia and Egypt. Libya, which is between those two nations, also had a lot of revolts. But although political change happened quickly in the other nations, Gadaffi fought back hard against the uprisings, which led to civil war in Libya, with government forces attacking the rebels.
With American and NATO air support, the rebels eventually gained the upper hand, taking the capital Tripoli in August 2011.
The Battle of Sirte was Gadaffi and his men' last stand. Gadaffi was caught and murdered on October 20th.
There was some intermittent opposition in the months that followed, but triumph was declared on October 23, 2011.
Libya is currently in the fifth year of the Second Libyan Civil War. Both sides don't want to go back to Gaddafi's leadership, but today probably won't feel very joyous.
