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This paper examines the formation of the modern Libyan state and the political, economic, and social transformations that accompanied it, from its independence in 1951 up to the period just before the disintegration of the state and its institutions due to the repercussions of the 2011 uprising. It focuses on the role played by the choices made by the ruling national elites in shaping the modern Libyan state during the two political regimes that governed Libya before the 2011 uprising: the Senussi Kingdom (1951-1969) and the Jamahiriya State (1969-2011). This study aims to test a fundamental hypothesis that the current crisis facing the Libyan state is deeply rooted in the manner in which the modern Libyan state was formed. This process was characterized by the inherent contradiction arising from the imposition of a modern nation-state on Libyan society through colonialism and a long historical trend of weakening the state’s institutional structure at the hands of the ruling political elites within both the monarchy and the Jamahiriya state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]