Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, and dictator who led Libya from 1969 to 2011. He seized power in a bloodless coup on September 1, 1969, overthrowing King Idris I and establishing the Libyan Arab Republic. He served as Revolutionary Chairman from 1969 to 1977, then as Secretary General of the General People's Congress until 1979, and subsequently as the "Brotherly Leader" and "Guide of the Revolution" of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya until 2011. Initially influenced by Arab nationalism, Nasserism, and socialism, Gaddafi developed his own "Third International Theory," outlined in his Green Book, which promoted direct democracy through people's committees while rejecting both capitalism and communism. His rule was characterized by state socialism, nationalization of oil industries, support for international revolutionary movements, and controversial foreign policies, including funding terrorism and confrontations with Western powers. Gaddafi's regime faced international isolation and UN sanctions in the 1990s over the Lockerbie bombing; however, relations improved in the 2000s after he renounced weapons of mass destruction. Domestically, he maintained power through a cult of personality, tribal alliances, and security forces while suppressing dissent. During the 2011 Arab Spring, protests escalated into the First Libyan Civil War, leading to NATO intervention. Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebel forces on October 20, 2011, in Sirte. His rule was marred by widespread allegations of human rights abuses, corruption, and atrocities during the conflict.