Muammar Gaddafi encouraged a policy.
Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi ( [ ˈmoʊ.əmɑr _ ɡəˈdɑːfi ] ; 20 October 2011 ) , commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi , was a Libyan revolutionary , politician , and political theorist . He governed Libya as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the `` Brotherly Leader '' of the Great Socialist People 's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011 . In 1973 , he initiated a `` Popular Revolution '' with the formation of General People 's Committees , purported to be a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions .