Tunisian War of Independence

The Tunisian War of Independence occurred from 1952 to 1956 between France and a guerrilla movement under Habib Bourguiba. Bourguiba became the first President of the new nation after negotiations with France that led to the independence.

Pre French colonialism

Tunisia is located along the Barbary Coast in the Mediterranean ocean, and was controlled by the Berber dynasties until their decline in the 16th century. The territory was disputed for much of the 16th century by Spain and the Ottoman Turks, with Turkey finally winning control by letting the Corsairs, or Turkish pirates, set up bases along the coasts. Tunisia was never under the full control of the Turks and until 1847 when the French gained full control of Algeria, still much of the nation was splintered.

French Colonialism

Until the French colonialists or “colons” rose to power, the nation was under the direction of dynastic “Beys” or chieftains which had been put in power and who reported to the Turkish Sultans. In an effort of modernization, the Beys borrowed money from the European powers, effectively driving the country bankrupt. By 1869, Tunisia had become under the control of Italy, Britain, and France who oversaw the country’s finances and inevitably began to have a much larger stake in the nation. In 1871, without the knowledge of the Bey, Italy attempted to claim ownership of the land, as it had invested heavily and with the largest number of settlers in the territory. This did not fit well with the French and British, which had become allied by that time.

By 1878, Britain laid claim to the island of Cyprus and in return, granted mainland Tunisia to the French. The French already had huge military resources in neighboring Algeria, and in 1881 move into Tunisia using an excuse that Tunisian tribesmen had staged border raids into Algeria. Fearing an all-out invasion, the Bey decided to make a deal with the French. The Treaty of Bardo, signed May 12, 1881, gave France responsibility for defense and foreign policy decisions of Tunisia. The French stayed and gave the Bey protection of both his territories, as well as his dynasty, leaving the Bey in control of state affairs and essentially seizing control of international affairs. The 1883 Convention of La Marsa, put in place a parallel justice system by which the Europeans were judged by their own court system and the Tunisian nationals their own version of Islamic law.

Vichy control

When the French capitulated to Nazi Germany in 1940, Tunisia came under control of the Vichy regime under the Marshall Petain. The Tunisian people were forced to follow the Vichy French in handing over their Jewish population to the Nazis. With the end of World War II, Tunisia returned to the control of France. To this day, Tunisia has a small, yet strong population of Jews, with many remaining and not immigrated to Israel.

Habib Bourguiba and Independence

French colonialism was not all bad for Tunisia; it brought not only protection from the aggressive international systems of the time, but many material benefits such as a state education system (mainly for boys) and a boom in the construction of roads and railways. The loss of Tunisian sovereignty lead to the emergence of independence movements, the first, formed by The Young Tunisian Party in 1907. By 1920, the Destour, a Tunisian political party, had formed a powerful base that was supported by the Bey. Their following lasted until 1934, when Neo Destour was formed, and brought about by a new generation of young nationalists striving for independence. With a new energized independence movement, the stage was set for a new leader, Habib Bourguiba.

With the threat of independence, the French immediately banned Neo Destour and sent Bourguiba to a variety of French prisons in France where he spent the next 20 years of his life. World War II brought about a halt in Tunisia’s bid for independence, but helped win Bourguiba a transfer from a French prison to an Axis one in Rome. The Nazis attempted to pressure Bourguiba into helping the Axis powers with his influence over the Tunisian independence fighters in pushing back the Allied invasion of North Africa. He refused and was released from prison in 1943 when the Nazi campaign was finally defeated at El Alamein in Tunisia. Upon his return to Tunisia, Bourguiba proposed a concept of gradual independence to free Tunisia from the French which was supported by fellow Tunisians. As a means of forcing the French to leave, the Neo Destour returned to planting bombs and committing terrorist attacks on colonial facilities. As a result, from 1952 to 1954, Bourguiba was imprisoned for the attacks, further fueling the fire between Tunisian Independence and French Rule. In June 1954, new French President Pierre Mendes came to power and immediately instituted a withdrawal policy from Tunisia to lessen the violent backlashes occurring in the colonies.

France still retained control of the Tunisia’s foreign affairs, and gradually the nations returned to the same arrangement of 1881. By November 1955, France granted Morocco independence; which helped pave the way for Tunisia’s independence. March 20, 1956, Tunisia achieved independence from France proposed by Habib Bourguiba. France, Tunisia, and Western Powers remained in good relations; which helps to bring the country economic aid to this day.

References

#Hole, Abigail, Michael Grosberg, and Daniel Robinson, "Tunisia", Lonely Planet, 2007. pp28-33.
#John Gunther, "Inside Africa", Harper & Brothers, New York, 1955. pp146-162.
#Us Army, multiple authors, "Tunisia – a Country (study)", 1st ed. Washington DC: US Government, 1987. pp30-52.
# [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ts.html "The World Factbook", CIA library]