A brief history of Tunisia

Simple and Concise

Tunisians can trace their lineage to the indigenous Berbers as well as to many of the civilizations which have, in one way or another, called Tunisia home over the last millennia. Written history begins with the arrival of the Phoenicians, who founded Carthage along with other North African settlements in the 8th century BC.

Carthage became a strong power due to its proximity next to the sea, and clashed with Rome over control of the Mediterranean. In 146 B.C., Carthage was defeated and captured by the Romans.

Until the 5th century, the Romans ruled and settled in North Africa. In the 5th century the Roman Empire fell, leaving Tunisia to the invasion of European tribes. From the 7th century to the 15th century, Tunisia witnessed waves of migration from around the Arab and Ottoman world, thanks to the Muslim conquest of the 7th century. Tunisia became a center of Arabian culture, and by the 16th century became assimilated into the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

From 1881 to it's independence in 1956, Tunisia was a French protectorate, thus explaining Tunisia's cultural ties with France, and the use of the French language.

The independence movement was led by President Habib Ali Bourguiba, who succeeded in gaining Tunisia's independence. With this success, President Habib Ali Bourguiba declared Tunisia a republic in 1957.

President Bourguiba placed a strong emphasis on economic and social development. He focused specifically on education, the status of women, and the creation of jobs. These policies that continued under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's administration. These policies led to strong progress, including high literacy rates, low poverty rates, and steady economic growth.

Tunisia did not quickly experience full democracy. President Bourguiba was unopposed for re-election, and was named "President for Life". Until 1982 opposition parties were banned.

In 1987 President Ben Ali came to power. He promised greater democratic openness and respect for human rights, signing a "national pact" with opposition parties. He oversaw constitutional and legal changes, including abolishing the concept of President for life, the establishment of presidential term limits, and provision for greater opposition party participation in political life. Even with these changes, the ruling party dominated the political scene due to its historic popularity and the advantage it enjoyed as the ruling party.

Ben Ali ran for re-election unopposed in 1989 and 1994. In 1999 and 2004 Ben Ali did face opposition, but yet he won 99.44% of the vote in 1999 and 94.49% of the vote in 2004.

A May 2002 referendum approved constitutional changes proposed by Ben Ali that allowed him to run for a fourth term in 2004 and a fifth term in 2009, which would be his last due to his age.

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