The Green Book (Muammar Gaddafi) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Green Book (Arabic: الكتاب الأخضر‎ al-Kitāb al-Aḫḍar) is a book written by Muammar al-Gaddafi. He was the leader of Libya until 2011. The book shares his ideas about how society and government should work. Gaddafi wanted everyone to read it. He believed his ideas could make the world a better place. The first part of the book came out in 1975.

Why The Green Book Was Important

In Libya

The Green Book was very important in Libya. Children in school spent two hours every week learning about its ideas. It was a big part of their education.

Around the World

By 1993, colleges and universities in many countries were studying The Green Book. They held special talks and classes about its ideas.

What's Inside The Green Book

The book has 110 pages. It is split into three main parts:

The Solution of the Problem of Democracy: The Authority of the People (published in late 1975)
The Solution of the Economic Problem: Socialism (published in early 1977)
The Social Basis of the Third International Theory (published in September 1981)

The book does not support capitalism or communism. Gaddafi thought communism did not respect religion. Instead, he supported a type of Islamic socialism. This means he believed in sharing wealth and resources, guided by Islamic values. The book also says no to representative democracy. This is where people vote for others to make decisions for them.

Main Ideas from The Green Book

Here are some of the main ideas from each part of the book:

Part 1: How People Should Govern

The Best Way to Govern

Gaddafi asked what kind of government is best. He thought a direct democracy was the answer. In this system, everyone makes decisions directly. He believed that representative democracies, where people vote for others to represent them, do not truly show what everyone wants. He also did not like election systems where only the person with the most votes wins.

About Parliaments

Parliaments are a key part of representative democracies. Gaddafi thought that once people are elected to parliament, they might not truly represent the wishes of the people who voted for them.

Political Parties

He believed that political parties also do not truly represent the people. He thought parties focus more on staying in power than on making society better for everyone. He also worried that political parties could easily become unfair or dishonest.

Social Groups

Gaddafi saw society as having different groups, like political, social, and tribal ones. He thought that when one group gets power, they become the new rulers. This means that a small group, or even a minority, still ends up ruling everyone else.

Voting Yes or No

Gaddafi felt that simple "yes" or "no" votes, like in a referendum, are not enough. He thought people's political ideas are too complex to be decided by just one choice.

People's Conferences and Committees

His solution for democracy was to create "Popular Conferences" (or Congresses) and "People's Committees." These groups would include everyone in society and all its different parts. Working together, these groups would run the government. Everyone would take part. These groups would not be like parliaments where power is given away to a few people.

Society's Rules

Gaddafi believed that the real source of rules for society comes from traditions and religion, not from written constitutions. He pointed out that constitutions are often changed. This, he said, shows they are not strong or lasting tools for government.

Who Keeps Society in Order

Just as political power should not be given to a few people, Gaddafi thought that keeping order (like policing) should also not be given away. He believed the system of Conferences and Committees was the answer. He thought that all of society should make the laws and also make sure they are followed.

How Society Fixes Problems

If a small group runs a government, another small group might take power through a revolution. This still leads to a small group ruling. Gaddafi said the solution is the system of Conferences and Committees. When all of society governs itself, there is no "outside enemy" to fight.

The Press

While individuals can express themselves privately, Gaddafi believed that "the press" (news and media) should be controlled by the Conferences and Committees. Otherwise, he thought individuals could take power away from others by controlling ideas.

Part 2: How the Economy Should Work

A New Way to Work

Gaddafi thought that labor unions and minimum wages were not enough to make things fair for all workers. He wanted to get rid of the idea of earning wages. Instead, he wanted workers to be "partners" in their industries. Profits should be shared equally among all people and all parts of how something is made.

Basic Needs

He saw basic needs as a big economic problem. He believed that people who can provide for needs might take advantage of those who need help. He thought the government should stop this unfairness.

Housing

Gaddafi believed that renting out homes was unfair and limited people's freedom. He thought everyone should own only one home. If someone owned more than one, they might rent it out and take advantage of renters.

Income

He said that individual income is very important for the economy. Again, he believed this income should not be wages paid by an owner. Instead, it should come from being a partner in an industry.

Getting Around

Gaddafi felt that transportation should be available to everyone. He thought it should not be owned by some people just to be rented to others, like in the case of taxi services.

Land

He believed that land should be equally available to everyone. He thought that parts of the economy should be shared equally among all people. This would create equal results for everyone. No one should save more than they need for themselves.

Household Workers

Gaddafi discussed how the economic ideas in his book could apply to people who work in homes. He wanted to make sure they were treated fairly and were part of the new economic system.

Part 3: Society and Culture

The Basis of Society

Gaddafi believed that individuals, families, tribes, and nations are the main parts of society. He thought that the connections between these groups drive history. The nation, held together by nationalism (a strong feeling of belonging to one's nation), is a very important unit. He said that nations disappear without national unity, just like the sun would disappear without gravity.

The Family

He saw families, individuals, and nations (especially those based on ethnic groups) as natural human social groups. He thought the modern state was different from what a true nation should be.

The Tribe

After the family, the next biggest human social group is the tribe. Gaddafi believed that as human social groups get larger, they become less important to people.

What's Good About Tribes

He thought tribes are strong because they are based on family ties. They help people feel connected. Tribes can also watch over themselves because of their numbers. He believed they help teach individuals how to be part of society, which he saw as more useful than school.

The Nation

Again, Gaddafi stressed that nationalism is a very important social idea. He saw it as closely related to, but different from, other large groups like religions, states, and empires. He believed that states and empires change and fall because they cannot match the power of real nations.

Women

Gaddafi stated that women and men are equal as human beings. However, he believed that physical differences lead to natural roles for each gender. He thought freedom for women meant being able to raise families without society forcing them to work outside the home.

Minorities

He talked about two types of minority groups: those who already have their own nation and those who do not but want to create one. In both cases, he said their rights must be protected.

Black People

Gaddafi suggested that Black people would become the majority in the world. He believed this was because they live in warm climates, which he thought made work less important for them than in other cultures.

Education

He saw traditional school education as a form of control. He believed that education should be available in any way people want to learn.

Music and Art

Gaddafi thought that humans should eventually speak one language. He believed that differences in language affect people's artistic and cultural tastes, and even their "genes."

Sports and Entertainment

He thought that just watching sports and other entertainment was not good. He believed people should play sports themselves to get the benefits of being active, instead of just watching others.

Images for kids

Burned-out The Green Book centre in Benghazi's downtown during the 2011 Libyan Civil War