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| Al-Fateh Revolution | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Libya |
 Free Officers Movement | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed, 15 wounded | 0 | ||||||
The Al-Fatah Revolution, also known as the 1st September Revolution, was an Arab Socialist revolution which took place in the United Kingdom of Libya on September 1st, 1969. The coup was executed by the Free Officers Movement led by Captain Muammar Gaddafi of the Signals Corp, and resulted in the abolition of monarchism and the creation of the Libyan Arab Republic led by the Revolutionary Command Council. The immediate aftermath of the coup was the eradication of Western military bases in the country, the nationalization of Libya's oil sector, and the sponsoring of Pan-Arab politics by the new Nasserist administration.
History[edit | edit source]
Coup[edit | edit source]
"In answer to your free will, fulfilling your dearest wishes, welcoming your constant requests for change and eruption as well as your desire for action and enterprise, listening to your calls to revolt, your armed forces have undertaken to overthrow the reactionary and corrupted regime whose stench suffocated and whose vision horrified us.
In a single blow, your valiant army has upset the idols and smashed their effigies. In a single stroke, it has illuminated the dark night in which succeeded one another, first the Turkish and Italian domination, then finally, that of a reactionary and rotten regime where reigned concussion, fractions, felony and treachery. From now on, Libya is a free and sovereign republic, named the Libyan Arab Republic which, by the grace of God is setting herself to work. She will go forward on the path of freedom, union and social justice, guaranteeing each of her sons/daughters the right to equality, and opening before them the door of honest work, from which shall be banished injustice and exploitation, and where no one shall be either master or servant, where everyone shall be free brothers, within a society where shall prosperity and quality, by the grace of God. Give us your hands, open your hearts to us, forget all adversities and make front molded in a single block against the enemy of the Arab nation, the enemy of Islam, the enemy of humanity, who set our sanctuaries afire, and flouted our honor Thus shall we build our glory, revive our inheritance, vindicate our ravaged dignity and the rights we were deprived of. Oh! You, who witnessed the sacred struggle of our hero Omar Al Mukthar for Libya, for Arabism and for Islam Oh! You, who fought alongside Ahmed Al-Sherif for a just ideal; you sons of the desert; you sons of our ancient cities; you sons of our green countryside; you sons of our beautiful villages; the time for work has arrived. Let us go forward! At this juncture, I am pleased to tell our foreign friends that they must fear neither for their properties nor for their lives.
They are under the protection of the armed forces. Moreover, I wish they would rest assured that our present undertaking is directed neither against nor against any acknowledged international treaty of international law. This is an exclusively domestic affair concerning Libya and her endemic problems. Forward then, and peace be with you." — Muammar Gaddafi announcing the Al-Fateh Revolution.[1]
On 1 September 1969, a sum of 70 young army officers known as the Free Officers Movement and enlisted mostly assigned to the Signals Corps gained control of the government and abolished the Libyan monarchy after the coup's announcement following the quick takeover of radio stations. Following the announcement, army units quickly rallied in support of the coup and military control was solidified across the country within a few days.[2]