( CNN ) -- The man who dominated Libya for more than four decades died not far from his birthplace . Moammar Gadhafi was born in the central Libyan desert south of Sirte in spring 1942 . The only surviving son of traditional Bedouin parents , his early schooling centered on religious subjects taught by a local tribal teacher . Tribal social values , together with the religious principles learned at this time , strongly influenced him for the rest of his life . Around age 10 , he enrolled in elementary school in Sirte , where he completed six grades in four years . He then enrolled in secondary school in Sebha , where , for the first time , he had access to Arab newspapers and radio broadcasts , notably the `` Voice of the Arabs '' news program from Cairo . Shortly after he seized power in 1969 , a junior American diplomat serving as an interpreter for the U.S. ambassador in Tripoli noted that Gadhafi spoke excellent Arabic , like a Voice of the Arabs radio announcer . A political activist from the start , Gadhafi was expelled from school in Sebha because he was distributing pamphlets and organizing public protests critical of the ruling monarchy . He completed his secondary schooling in Misurata , and graduated from the Royal Military Academy in 1965 . Convinced that only armed might could force a change in government , he viewed military service not as a career , but as an instrument for socioeconomic and political change . In the course of his time at the academy , he created the Free Unionist Officers Movement and selected its 12-member central committee , drawing on contacts made in Sebha and Misurata . The Free Unionist Officers Movement overthrew the monarchy in a bloodless coup d ' Ã©tat on the night of September 1 , 1969 . Thereafter , the ruling Revolutionary Command Council depicted itself as a collegial body , but Gadhafi was always first among equals , directing events and dictating policy . The language of Gadhafi and the other council members was the language of Arab nationalism , guided by the precepts of the Koran and sharia , the traditional code of Islamic law , and strengthened by the conviction that only the Revolutionary Command Council spoke for the Libyan people . Over time , the Gadhafi regime created a unique form of direct democracy consisting of a nationwide system of congresses and committees designed to give the impression the Libyan people were running the government . In fact , Gadhafi , the remaining Revolutionary Command Council members , the Free Unionist Officers and revolutionary committees appointed by Gadhafi tightly controlled the political system from the start , making all important decisions . The functions and activities of the direct democracy system were regulated by law ; however , the activities of the parallel sector directed by Gadhafi and his cohorts was not in any way regulated by legal statutes . Gadhafi was a revolutionary , and initially , his regime pursued a complex , aggressive and often violent foreign policy . Beginning in the early 1980s , a series of setbacks caused him to rethink failed initiatives , and after 1999 , Libya sought to return to the international community . The Libyan agreement to pay $ 2.7 billion to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing and its renunciation of weapons of mass destruction marked important steps in the reconciliation process . By 2006 , the United States had achieved full commercial and diplomatic relations with Libya for the first time in 25 years . By any measure , Gadhafi 's legacy is a negative one . Politically , he systematically destroyed civil society and banned political parties , leaving the Libyan people with no experience in democratic government . Socially , his authoritarian regime violated the most basic human rights , including freedom of speech , assembly and the press . Economically , he failed to diversify the economy , leaving the country almost totally dependent on income from oil and gas revenues . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author .
Gadhafi , schooled in tribal values , was an activist from an early age . Gadhafi was first among equals in the group that overthrew the Libyan monarchy . Author says Gadhafi created shadow democracy but held on to all real power . He says Gadhafi destroyed civil society , violated rights , crippled the economy .