The Rise and Fall of Qaddafi: Slideshow

Muammar el-Qaddafi in 1969

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kadhafi-saluting.jpg
In the fall of 1969, Muammar el-Qaddafi changed the course of Libya's history by overthrowing the monarchy and proclaiming the new Libyan Arab Republic. It was the start of over 40 years of rule for the ambitious 27-year-old colonel, who had been born in a Bedouin tent and embraced pan-Arabism. (Photo Credit: Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
la
Qaddafi with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and General Hafiz Al-Assad of Syria in 1971

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sadat-al-assad-kadhafi-in-cairo.jpg
In the 1970s, Qaddafi pursued his goal of unifying all Arab states into one nation. His efforts failed and served to jeopardize Libya's relationship with its neighbors. (Photo Credit: Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
la
Site of 1986 Berlin Nightclub Bombing

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/terrorist-attact-in-berlin.jpg
Relations between the Qaddafi regime and the West deteriorated in April 1986 when Libyan terrorists bombed a Berlin disco, killing three people and injuring 230, including 50 U.S. servicemen. Based on evidence that Qaddafi ordered the attack, the United States carried out air strikes on Libya. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
Libyans Commemorating 1986 Attacks

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/libyans-carrying-portraits-of-kadhafi.jpg
In this photo taken on April 14, 1992, Libyans carry portraits of Qaddafi as they demonstrate to mark the anniversary of U.S. air attacks on Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986. According to the state-controlled Libyan media, the operation killed dozens of people, including Qaddafi's adopted daughter. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
Lockerbie Bombing Wreckage

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pan-am-bombing.jpg
On December 21, 1988, a bomb exploded aboard Pan Am Flight 103 while the plane was in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground. The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Libya to pressure Qaddafi's government to give up two suspects. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
The Lockerbie Trial in May 2000

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/judges-for-the-lockerbie-trial.jpg
After a visit to Libya by Nelson Mandela in 1997, Qaddafi handed over the two suspects in 1999. In 2001, a Scottish court convicted Abdel Baset al-Megrahi of the Lockerbie bombing and sentenced him to life imprisonment. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
Qaddafi Speaks to the Press About the Lockerbie Verdict

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kadhafi-speaks-to-press.jpg
After the fall of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003, Qaddafi changed course after decades of anti-Western policies, renouncing support for terrorism. Libya also formally accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to pay $2.7 billion to victims' families. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
U.N. Security Council Votes To Lift Sanctions Against Libya

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/un-lift-sanctions-on-libya.jpg
As a result of Qaddafi's reversal, the United Nations Security Council voted to lift sanctions on Libya in September 2003. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
la
Protests Erupt Outside United Nations in September 2009

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/protests-outside-un.jpg
In September 2009, Qaddafi addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York for the first time, drawing protesters accusing him of human rights violations. His inflammatory speech lasted 90 minutes. At one point, he appeared to tear a copy of the United Nations charter. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
la
Qaddafi in Tripoli on March 2, 2011

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kadhafi-at-ceremony.jpg
With unrest spreading through much of the Arab world, massive political protests against the Qaddafi regime began in February 2011. On March 2, Qaddafi spoke at a ceremony of loyalists to mark 34 years of "people power." (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
Anti-Qaddafi Protests in Benghazi in March 2011

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/burning-green-books.jpg
As the uprising gained momentum throughout March, Qaddafi's troops cracked down on antigovernment protesters in Benghazi and Tripoli with brutal force. Reports reached the international community that hundreds of protesters had been killed. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
Qaddafi Loyalists Celebrate Retaking of Ras Lanuf on March 12, 2011

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kadhafi-loyalists.jpg
Spearheaded by France and Britain, which vowed to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, the Security Council voted to authorize military action to prevent loyalist forces from attacking civilian protestors. On March 19, American and European forces began air strikes against Qaddafi and his government. (Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
la
Libyan Woman Reads the Paper After the Fall of Tripoli

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/libyan-woman-with-paper.jpg
In August 2011, six months after civil war broke out, loyalists and anti-Qaddafi forces clashed in Tripoli. Two of the colonel’s sons, who had played key roles in his regime, were arrested but later escaped. With the capital under opposition control and Qaddafi on the lam, the National Transitional Council declared victory. (Credit: Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images)
la
Children Celebrate News of Qaddafi’s Capture

http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/qadaffi-capture-celebrations.jpg
On October 20, Libya’s interim government announced that Qaddafi had died after being captured near his hometown of Sirte. Officials have not yet released details, but it has been reported that the ousted leader sustained fatal injuries during his apprehension. (Credit: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images)
la