Libyan Revolutionary Command Council
The Revolutionary Command Council (Arabic: مجلس قيادة الثورة) was a twelve-member governing body that ruled the Libyan Arab Republic after the 1969 Libyan coup d'état by the Free Officers Movement, which overthrew the Senussi monarchy of King Idris I. The council's chairman was Muammar Gaddafi, who had the most influence and served as Libya's de facto head of state as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. It was ideologically Arab nationalist, republican, anti-imperialist and pan-Arabist.
.svg) Flag of the Libyan Arab Republic (1969–1972) | |
| Formation | 1 September 1969 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2 March 1977 |
| Type | Acting Presidency Collective leadership |
| Legal status | Dissolved by the proclamation of Jamahiriya. Replaced by the GPC. |
| Headquarters | Tripoli, Libya |
Region served | Libyan Arab Republic |
Chairman | Muammar Gaddafi |
| Affiliations | Presidency of Libya Libyan Army Parliament |
In 1977, the Libyan Arab Republic was abolished and Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was established. As a part of this, the RCC was officially abolished and replaced by the general secretariat of the General People's Congress.
History
editAs a result of the 1969 Libyan coup d'état led by Gaddafi, the 12-member central committee of the Free Officers Movement converted themselves into a Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), which governed the newly established Libyan Arab Republic.[1] Below them was formed a council of ministers, headed by Mahmud Suleiman Maghribi, to oversee the implementation of RCC policy.[2]
The RCC was instantly recognized by the Arab nationalist governments of Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Syria. Egypt sent experts to support the Revolutionary Command Council which lacked experience.[3] Gaddafi expressed Pan-Arabism, announcing the need for one united Arab state in the Middle East and North Africa.[3] He proposed the establishment of the Federation of Arab Republics in 1972 with Egypt and Syria. It was approved by 98.6% of voters in Libya with a referendum on 1 September 1971.[4]
Captain Gaddafi was promoted to the rank of colonel, and was recognized as both chairman of the RCC as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, becoming the de facto head of state.[5] From 1970 to 1972, he also served as prime minister. The RCC was declared the highest authority in the Libyan Arab Republic with the ability to exercise both executive and legislative functions.[6]
Although the RCC was theoretically a collegial body that operated through discussion and consensus building, from the start it was dominated by the opinions and decisions of Gaddafi,[7] although some of the others attempted to constrain what they saw as his excesses.[8] As chairman of the RCC, Gaddafi was officially entitled the Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic.[9]
The 1969 Constitutional Proclamation granted the RCC powers to declare war, conclude and ratify treaties, appoint diplomatic envoys, receive diplomatic missions, proclaim martial law, control the Libyan Armed Forces and appoint a Council of Ministers. By 1975, Gaddafi became the only member of the RCC to initiate major political programs or policies.[6]
Gaddafi remained the public face of the government, with the identities of the other RCC members only being publicly revealed in the Official Gazette on 10 January 1970.[10] All of them were young men, from (typically rural) working and middle-class backgrounds, and none had university degrees; in this way they were all distinct from the wealthy, highly educated conservatives who had previously governed the country.[11] The coup completed, the RCC proceeded with their intentions of consolidating the revolutionary government and modernising the country.[7]
Monarchists and members of Idris' Senussi clan were removed from Libya's political world and armed forces; Gaddafi believed that this elite were opposed to the will of the Libyan people and needed to be expunged.[12] Many figures in the old regime were imprisoned, though none were executed.[13] They maintained the previous administration's ban on political parties, and ruled by decree.[14] Further restrictions were placed on the press, and in May 1970, trade unions were banned.[15]
In June 1971, Gaddafi declared the formation of the Arab Socialist Union as the sole legal party of Libya. Gaddafi announced that it would bring true democracy with all participating, eliminate class distinctions and form a new socialist ideology based on Islam, rejecting Marxism.[16]
During a speech in Zuwarah on 15 April 1973, Gaddafi declared the Cultural Revolution which laid down five principles for the continuation of the revolution in Libya. This happened after increasing tensions between Gaddafi and his colleagues in the RCC had led him to agree to step down. Gaddafi had told the RCC that he would announce his resignation to the people at the Zuwarah speech, but he instead surprised them with his declaration of the Cultural Revolution. This made Gaddafi the uncontested leader of Libya.[17]
After Libya was converted into the "(Great) Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" in 1977, the remaining members of the RCC formed the apex of the "revolutionary sector" that oversaw the government. They were not subject to election, since they held office by virtue of having led the 1969 coup—officially described as "the Revolution." As a result, although Gaddafi held no formal governmental post after 1979, he continued to have the most important role in the government of the country until his overthrow and killing in the First Libyan Civil War in 2011.
Membership
edit
The initial members (1970) were as follows:[18]
- Col. Muammar Gaddafi (Revolutionary Chairman)
- Maj. Abdessalam Jallud (Vice-Chairman, Chief Executive Officer)[19]
- Maj. Beshir al-Saghir Hawady (until 1975)[20][21]
- Maj. Mukthar Abdullah al-Gherwy (resigned in 1972)[22]
- Capt. Abdul Moniem al-Taher el-Huny (until 1975)[23][24][21]
- Capt. Mustafa al-Kharouby
- Maj. Khuwaildi al-Hamidi[25][26][20]
- Maj. Muhammad Nejm[27] (resigned in 1973)[22]
- Maj. Awad Ali Hamza (until 1975)[21]
- Maj. Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr
- Capt. Umar Muhayshi (until 1975)[21]
- Capt. Mohammed Abu Bakr Al-Magariaf (died in a car accident in August 1972)[28]
See also
editReferences
editFootnotes
edit- ^ Blundy & Lycett 1987, p. 63; Vandewalle 2008, p. 9; Bruce St. John 2012, p. 134.
- ^ Blundy & Lycett 1987, p. 63.
- ^ a b Blundy & Lycett 1987, pp. 62–63.
- ^ Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p528 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
- ^ Blundy & Lycett 1987, p. 64; Bruce St. John 2012, p. 134.
- ^ a b John, Ronald Bruce St (2023-03-15). Historical Dictionary of Libya. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 321. ISBN 978-1-5381-5742-8.
- ^ a b Bruce St. John 2012, p. 134.
- ^ Kawczynski 2011, p. 20.
- ^ Tiliouine, Habib; Estes, Richard J. (2016-04-08). The State of Social Progress of Islamic Societies: Social, Economic, Political, and Ideological Challenges. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-24774-8.
- ^ Vandewalle 2008, p. 9; Bruce St. John 2012, p. 134.
- ^ Vandewalle 2008, p. 10; Kawczynski 2011, p. 20.
- ^ Vandewalle 2008, p. 11; Kawczynski 2011, pp. 21–23.
- ^ Blundy & Lycett 1987, p. 62.
- ^ Blundy & Lycett 1987, p. 63; Vandewalle 2008, p. 11; Bruce St. John 2012, p. 153.
- ^ Blundy & Lycett 1987, p. 64.
- ^ Bidwell (2012-10-12). Dictionary Of Modern Arab History. Routledge. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-136-16291-6.
- ^ Obeidi, Amal S. M.; Obeidi, Amal (2013-09-05). Political Culture in Libya. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-136-11578-3.
- ^ "Libya Names 12 Members Of Revolutionary Counci". The New York Times. 1970-01-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Sheehan, Edward R. F. (1972-02-06). "Colonel Qadhafi, Libya's Mystical Revolutionary: So much oil money, and so little to spend it on". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
- ^ a b Al-awsat, Asharq. "Middle-east Arab News Opinion". eng-archive.aawsat.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ a b c d Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Libya: The role of Omar al-Meheshi in Colonel Qaddafi's revolution; his activities in the 1975 coup attempt and in developing opposition movements in Morocco and Egypt (1969 - present)". Refworld. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b Tunesi, Ibrahim Sadoun R. (June 2023). "Sultanism and Civil War in Libya". Middle East Policy. 30 (2): 146–165. doi:10.1111/mepo.12688. ISSN 1061-1924.
- ^ Al-awsat, Asharq. "Middle-east Arab News Opinion". eng-archive.aawsat.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Al-awsat, Asharq. "Middle-east Arab News Opinion". eng-archive.aawsat.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Ash, Nigel (2015-07-27). "Qaddafi collaborator Khuwaildi Al-Hamidi dies of heart attack". LibyaHerald. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Invisible Dog – Khadafi's Libya and Today's Libya". www.invisible-dog.com. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Ashour, Omar. "What Will Libya Look Like After Qaddafi?". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Nyrop, Richard F.; Studies, American University (Washington, D. C. ) Foreign Area (1973). Area Handbook for Libya. U.S. Government Printing Office.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Bibliography
edit- Bouckaert, Peter (2012). "Death of a Dictator: Bloody Vengeance in Sirte". Human Rights Watch.
- Bearman, Jonathan (1986). Qadhafi's Libya. London: Zed Books. ISBN 978-0862324346.
- Blundy, David; Lycett, Andrew (1987). Qaddafi and the Libyan Revolution. Boston and Toronto: Little Brown & Co. ISBN 978-0316100427.
- Bruce St. John, Ronald (2012). Libya: From Colony to Revolution (revised edition). Oxford: Oneworld. ISBN 978-1851689194.
- Cooley, John K. (1983). Libyan Sandstorm. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 978-0283989445.
- Davis, Brian Lee (1990). Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya. New York: Praeger. ISBN 0275933024.
- El-Khawas, Mohamad A. (1986). Qaddafi: His Ideology in Theory and Practice. Amana. ISBN 978-0915597246.
- Hilsum, Lindsey (2012). Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0571288038.
- Kawczynski, Daniel (2011). Seeking Gaddafi: Libya, the West and the Arab Spring. London: Biteback. ISBN 978-1-84954-148-0.
- Metz, Helen Chapin, ed. (2004). Libya. US GPO. ISBN 1-4191-3012-9.
- Monti-Belkaoui, Janice; Monti-Belkaoui, Ahmed (1996). Qaddafi: The Man and His Policies. Avebury. ISBN 978-1859723852.
- Pargeter, Alice (2012). Libya: The Rise and Fall of Qaddafi. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300139327.
- Simons, Geoff (2003). Libya and the West: From Independence to Lockerbie. Oxford: Centre for Libyan Studies. ISBN 1-86064-988-2.
- Vandewalle, Dirk (2008). "Libya's Revolution in Perspective: 1969–2000". Libya Since 1969: Qadhafi's Revolution Revisited. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 9–53. ISBN 978-0-230-33750-3.
- Vandewalle, Dirk (2011). "From International Reconciliation to Civil War: 2003-2011". Libya Since 1969: Qadhafi's Revolution Revisited (revised edition). Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 215–239. ISBN 978-0-230-33750-3.