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Libya
Historical Setting
UNTIL LIBYA ACHIEVED independence in 1951, its history was essentially
that of tribes, regions, and cities, and of the empires of which
it was a part. Derived from the name by which a single Berber
tribe was known to the ancient Egyptians, the name Libya
was subsequently applied by the Greeks to most of North Africa
and the term Libyan to all of its Berber inhabitants.
Although ancient in origin, these names were not used to designate
the specific territory of modern Libya and its people until the
twentieth century, nor indeed was the whole area formed into a
coherent political unit until then. Hence, despite the long and
distinct histories of its regions, modern Libya must be viewed
as a new country still developing national consciousness and institutions.
Geography was the principal determinant in the separate historical
development of Libya's three traditional regions-- Tripolitania,
Cyrenaica, and Fezzan. Cut off from each other by formidable deserts,
each retained its separate identity into the 1960s. At the heart
of Tripolitania was its metropolis, Tripoli, for centuries a terminal
for caravans plying the Saharan trade routes and a port sheltering
pirates and slave traders. Tripolitania's cultural ties were with
the Maghrib, (see Glossary), of which it was a part geographically
and culturally and with which it shared a common history. Tripolitanians
developed their political consciousness in reaction to foreign
domination, and it was from Tripolitania that the strongest impulses
came for the unification of modern Libya.
In contrast to Tripolitania, Cyrenaica historically was oriented
toward Egypt and the Mashriq (see Glossary). With the exception
of some of its coastal towns, Cyrenaica was left relatively untouched
by the political influence of the regimes that claimed it but
were unable to assert their authority in the hinterland. An element
of internal unity was brought to the region's tribal society in
the nineteenth century by a Muslim religious order, the Sanusi,
and many Cyrenaicans demonstrated a determination to retain their
regional autonomy even after Libyan independence and unification.
Fezzan was less involved with either the Maghrib or the Mashriq.
Its nomads traditionally looked for leadership to tribal dynasties
that controlled the oases astride the desert trade routes. Throughout
its history, Fezzan maintained close relations with sub-Saharan
Africa as well as with the coast.
The most significant milestones in Libya's history were the introduction
of Islam and the Arabization of the country in the Middle Ages,
and, within the last two generations, national independence, the
discovery of petroleum, and the September 1969 revolution that
brought Muammar al Qadhafi to power. The era since 1969 has brought
many important changes. The Qadhafi regime has made the first
real attempt to unify Libya's diverse peoples and to create a
distinct Libyan state and identity. It has created new political
structures and made a determined effort at diversified economic
development financed by oil revenues. The regime has also aspired
to leadership in Arab and world affairs. As a consequence of these
developments, Libyan society has been subjected to a significant
degree of government direction and supervision, much of it at
the behest of Qadhafi himself. Although the merits of the regime
and its policies were much debated by Libyans and foreigners alike,
there was no question that Libya in the 1980s was a significantly
different country from the one it had been only two or three decades
earlier.
Data as of 1987
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