Amber Norman
The Colonial Times Of Libya
Why And How The Italians Colonized Libya
Why Italy Wanted To Control Libya
The Italians have been interacting with Libya through education for many years. In 1810 Franciscan missionaries established a school on the coastal town of Tripoli and taught there for many years. The Italians colonized Libya by conquering the Ottoman empire. On October 3, 1911 the Italians attacked Tripoli liberating Libya from the Ottoman empire. The Italians looked at Libya as the only bit of North Africa left to colonize. They saw the Ottoman Turks as a weak people. Libya was close to Italy and was an ideal place to colonize with a Mediterranean coast.
Why Italy Wanted To Control Libya
- The empires that were taking over were motivated by power and land and more important would be the seaports. The seaports provide access for ship to arrive and trade. From 1911 to 1934 the Italians had a big interest in Libya who was, at the time, controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Italy saw Libya as being close to home and had a valuable Mediterranean coast. This coastline provided easy access to other colonies and produced free trade. Italy was also becoming crowded and there was a need to settle new Italian colonies in Libya.
Natural Resources And Raw Materials That The Colonizers Seek From Libya
- The natural resources from the ocean including trade with other countries. The town of Tripoli, being a seaport, was an ideal location to converse with the homeland of Italy. Commerce and trade as well as travel was available through Tripoli. Later oil was discovered which was a rich natural resource. Currently oil is the community that is most commonly traded at the seaports. The sea ports that process oil include some of the following ports: Abu Kammash Port, Bouri Oil Terminal, Benghazi Port, Darna Port, Elbrega Port (Marsa Brega) and others.
Advances Brought To Libya By Italy
- The Italian government spent a lot of time and resources into building and running schools throughout the country. This was important to spread the Italian language and the Italian culture. Italy also provided primary, secondary and trade school in order to further education. Advances in higher education and training had a direct effect on industry and modern development of Libya.
Benefits To Being Colonized
There were benefits to being colonized. Modern technology was accessible due to an open seaport and later lead to a wealthy government. Moving goods and services out of the country has brought huge revenues into the country of Libya. The governments investment in transportation, education, housing and medicine has improved the lives of the Libyan citizens.
Drawbacks To Being Colonized
- A drawback to being colonized is that most of the land is not usable because it is mostly desert. This leaves seaports overpopulated with people which increases crime and hunger. The native Libyans did not want to learn about the culture of Italy nor did they want to spread their language. This caused a division among the people. Corruption and greed has also played a role as revenues from oil production increased. This has lead to hatred and violence in the country which can cause the country to become unstable and a government to become threatened.
My Personal Narrative
Libya August 19, 1981
My name is Abal Ali and I am proud to be a pilot in the Libyan air force. I am also married and have two beautiful children named Radek and Maayan. They are dear to me and I am grateful for that day in August of 1981 when my life was spared and I was able to see my family again. It was a day I shall never forget.
In 1973 we claimed the Gulf of Sidra as part of our territorial waters. These waters were considered, by my people, to be part of our country. However we didn’t meet a certain criteria to claim the Gulf of Sidra as part of our territory. This criteria was establish by international law. On one occasion we had some dealings with the United States over this dispute, for the United States did not recognize the Gulf of Sidra as part of Libya. When Ronald Regan became president of the United States he authorized a naval force to occupy the Gulf of Sidra. This was very upsetting to us for we had a right to defend our territory even if it wasn’t recognized by the United States.
On the morning of August 19, 1981 we were flying a combat control mission as an exercise. I was assigned to fly a brand new Sukhoi Su-22’s and my friend and comrade Dacso Mohamed was to fly in another Sukhoi Su-22. He was a good friend and a good pilot and we have flown many missions together. We climbed into the cockpit and I could tell that the paint was fresh and the smell was clean, crisp and new. We took off from the Ghurdadiyah Air Base near the city of Sirte. Our mission was to fly by the American forces and report. As we approached the American naval force we were told there were two American F-14s deployed and were headed right for us. My heart was racing but I was confident and tried to stay calm. I could tell Dasco was not so calm as we rapidly approached the F-14s. When we were within 300 to 400 meters Dasco fired upon the American F-14 with his AA-2 “Atoll” missiles, barely missing the American plain. I cursed at Dasco as we split from our formation and the F-14s flew right past. I could feel the vibration of the plain and hear the deafening roar of the american engines as they flew by. They turned on us so fast, I couldn’t believe it. Within seconds they were on our tails and we were fired upon with their AIM-9L sidewinders. The warning light flashed and I thought of my family. Would I live through this? Would I see them again? It was then that I ejected and abandoned my plain.
Dacso and I both ejected from our plains and were shortly recovered by our government. We were debriefed and told all we knew and were detained for 24 hours. To my relief we were sent home where I was filled with joy and happiness to see my little Radek and Maayan once again. It was a sweet reunion and the tears flowed. When I told my wife the story she started to cry many tears and held me tight for a long while. I will never forget that wonderful day and am so grateful that I am alive.
Written by Amber Norman
Libya August 19, 1981
My name is Abal Ali and I am proud to be a pilot in the Libyan air force. I am also married and have two beautiful children named Radek and Maayan. They are dear to me and I am grateful for that day in August of 1981 when my life was spared and I was able to see my family again. It was a day I shall never forget.
In 1973 we claimed the Gulf of Sidra as part of our territorial waters. These waters were considered, by my people, to be part of our country. However we didn’t meet a certain criteria to claim the Gulf of Sidra as part of our territory. This criteria was establish by international law. On one occasion we had some dealings with the United States over this dispute, for the United States did not recognize the Gulf of Sidra as part of Libya. When Ronald Regan became president of the United States he authorized a naval force to occupy the Gulf of Sidra. This was very upsetting to us for we had a right to defend our territory even if it wasn’t recognized by the United States.
On the morning of August 19, 1981 we were flying a combat control mission as an exercise. I was assigned to fly a brand new Sukhoi Su-22’s and my friend and comrade Dacso Mohamed was to fly in another Sukhoi Su-22. He was a good friend and a good pilot and we have flown many missions together. We climbed into the cockpit and I could tell that the paint was fresh and the smell was clean, crisp and new. We took off from the Ghurdadiyah Air Base near the city of Sirte. Our mission was to fly by the American forces and report. As we approached the American naval force we were told there were two American F-14s deployed and were headed right for us. My heart was racing but I was confident and tried to stay calm. I could tell Dasco was not so calm as we rapidly approached the F-14s. When we were within 300 to 400 meters Dasco fired upon the American F-14 with his AA-2 “Atoll” missiles, barely missing the American plain. I cursed at Dasco as we split from our formation and the F-14s flew right past. I could feel the vibration of the plain and hear the deafening roar of the american engines as they flew by. They turned on us so fast, I couldn’t believe it. Within seconds they were on our tails and we were fired upon with their AIM-9L sidewinders. The warning light flashed and I thought of my family. Would I live through this? Would I see them again? It was then that I ejected and abandoned my plain.
Dacso and I both ejected from our plains and were shortly recovered by our government. We were debriefed and told all we knew and were detained for 24 hours. To my relief we were sent home where I was filled with joy and happiness to see my little Radek and Maayan once again. It was a sweet reunion and the tears flowed. When I told my wife the story she started to cry many tears and held me tight for a long while. I will never forget that wonderful day and am so grateful that I am alive.
Written by Amber Norman
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital city and the largest city of Libya.
Turkish Ottoman Empire
The former Turkish empire in europe, Asia, and Africa which lasted from the late 13th century until the end of World War I.
Corsairs
A privateer, especially one operating along the southern coast of the Mediterranean in the 17th century.
Ali Benghul
He was an ottoman officer and he restored ottoman rule in the city of Tripoli.
Janissaries
janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards.
Map of the proximity of Italy to Libya
Green=Italy
Orange=Libya
Orange=Libya
Critical Thinking Questions
What would happen if Italy didn't colonize Libya?
Do you think educating Libyans about Italian culture is a good or a bad thing?
What is Tripoli?
What would happen if Italy didn't colonize Libya?
Do you think educating Libyans about Italian culture is a good or a bad thing?
What is Tripoli?
click here to learn more about Libya.