Untin Libya achived freedom in 1951, its history was essentially that of tribes, regions, and cities, and of the empires of which it was a part. Derived from the name by which a single Berber tribe was known to the ancient Egyptians, the name Libya was consequently applied by the Greeks to most of North Africa and the term Libyan to all of its Berber inhabitants. Although ancient in origin, these names were not used to designate the specific territory of modern Libya and its people until the twentieth century, nor indeed was the whole area formed into a coherent political unit until then. Hence, contempt the long and distinct histories of its regions, modern Libya must be viewed as a new nation still developing national consciousness and institutions.

The most remarkable milestones in Libya's history were the introduction of Islam and the Arabization of the nation in the Middle Ages, and, within the last two generations, national freedom, the find of petroleum, and the September 1969 revolution that brought Muammar al Qadhafi to power. The era since 1969 has brought many valuable changes. The Qadhafi regime has made the first real attempt to unify Libya's various peoples and to create a distinct Libyan state and identity. It has created new political structures and made a determined effort at diversified economic development financed by oil revenues. The regime has also aspired to leadership in Arab and world affairs. As a consequence of these developments, Libyan society has been subjected to a remarkable degree of government direction and supervision, much of it at the behest of Qadhafi himself. Although the merits of the regime and its policies were much debated by Libyans and foreigners alike, there was no question that Libya in the 1980s was a remarkablely different nation from the one it had been only two or three decades earlier.