Tunisia

By danielleigcse

  • Habib Bourguiba Arrested by the French

    The leading nationalist politician in Tunisia was Habib Bourguiba. He was arrested by the French in 1934 and spent many years in various prisons in France.

  • Bourguiba is Freed and Gains Support

    Habib Bourguiba was freed after world war 2. He resumed his nationalist activity and set up an office in Cairo , Egypt in 1945. From here he had contacts with many Arab states and he travelled a lot to the USA, to Europe and Asia, gathering international support for his campaign for the independence if Tunisia

  • Bourguiba Returns to Tunisia and Angers The French Authorities

    In September 1950 , Bourguiba returned to Tunis and set up an office campaigning for independence. When the French authorities took little notice he called for unlimited resistance and violent insurrection which they couldn't ignore
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    Habib Bourguiba is Arrested and Imprisoned

    Due to his encouragement of unlimited resistance and violent insurrection in the name of independence, Habib Bourguiba was arrested by the French authorities in January 1952 and spent the next two years in prisons in Tunisia

  • Ferhat Hached is Assassinated- Fuels the Nationalist Movement

    Trade Unions also played an important part in the campaign for Tunisian independence. The assassination of prominent nationalist and trade union leader, Ferhat Hached , in December 1952 gave a final decisive push to the nationalist movement. It was suspected that the French Secret Service was behind this assassination, carried out at the height of the violent nationalist campaign.

  • Pierre Mendes-France is Elected Prime Minsister

    Pierre Mendes-France , is elected Prime Minister of France in June 1954 , and he is determined to move towards independence for Tunisia.

  • Bourguiba is Released from Prison

    Habib Bourguiba was released from prison in June 1955

  • Tunisia is Declared Independent

    Tunisia was declared independent on the 20th March 1956. French withdrew because they wanted to avoid bloody conflicts like Algeria. It was militarily impossible to fight in both Tunisia and Algeria and serve NATO commitments. There were few French settlers.Granting independence to Morocco had gone smoothly in 1955 but they were humiliated over Indochina at Geneva in 1954 . There was the possibility of a military coup over Tunisia. Elements of French Secret Service suspect due to Hached.
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    President Bourguiba of the Republic Of Tunisia

    Habib Bourguiba was President of the Republic of Tunisia for thirty years from July 1957-July 1987. . He remained unchallenged as the political leader of Tunisia until close the end of his rule. His leadership of the movement of Tunisian independence since 1934, for which he served long periods as a prisoner in France ,assured his authority in independent Tunisia.
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    Foreign Policy with Western Countries

    During Bourguiba's early years as President, relations with France were put under severe strain by his continued support for the FLN guerrillas operating in Algeria but based across the border in Tunisia. However he restored good relations with France after Algerian Independence in July 1962, and in the years that followed. His anti-communist stance ensured that Tunisia enjoyed good relations with many western countries and with the USA.
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    Social and Economic Reforms

    Bourguiba introduced many social reforms.In particular he gave priority to education. He acted to improve the rights of women prohibiting polygamy improving access to divorce,and raising the legal age of marriage for girls. After a period of experiment with socialist central planning he embraced a liberal approach in economic matters and encouraged private enterprise :a private sector developed .Tourism was supported and the oil wealth of the country was exploited.

  • Bourguiba is Voted President For Life

    All Bourguiba's adult life had been devoted to the case of Tunisian Independence and Nationalism. In pursuit of this he had been brave, determined, and skilful. As President of an independent Tunisia he was extremely influential in forming the character of the nation. This was recognised when in March 1975, the Tunisian National Assembly voted him as President For Life

  • Foreign Policy With Arabs , 1982 Invited PLO to Tunisia

    Bourguiba was a key member of the Arab League, competing with President Nasser of Egypt for leadership of the Arab world. However, he pursued a foreign policy that was all his own, advocating a fair settlement of the dispute between Israel and Palestine. He invited Yasser Arafat and other leading members f the Palestine Liberation Organisation to come to Tunisia in 1982 after civil war in Lebanon had made it impossible for the PLO to remain in Beirut