HISTORY
Carthage
Tunisians traded and interacted with other Mediterranean cultures
since the 12th century BC. Ancient Carthage, the great city-state
founded in 814 BC, so prospered in trade and commerce that it
attracted the eyes of an expanding Roman Empire. The fall of Carthage
in the second century BC ushered in nearly 700 years of Roman
rule. Tunisia prospered as the granary of the Roman Empire. The
many splendid archaeological sites which dot the Tunisian landscape
today attest to Tunisia's prominent position in the empire.
Arab
Moslem Era
In the fifth and the sixth centuries AD, Roman influence was replaced
by that of, first, the Vandals and later the Byzantines. In the
seventh century AD, Islamic conquest reached Tunisia. The city
of Kairouan became the center of religious life and the site of
one of Islam's most ancient and holiest mosques. In the ensuing
centuries, Islamic civilization enriched Tunisia during five long
dynasties both Arab and Ottoman. High points during this period
were the establishment in Tunis of the Great Mosque and Islamic
University of Zitouna; the flourishing of great thinkers such
as Ibn Khaldoun, historian and father of modern sociology, who
produced works which still influence scholarship ; and the arrival
of Muslim Andalusian immigrants expelled from Spain in 1492. By
the 16th century, Tunisia was under Ottoman control, and a dynasty
of Beys governed the country.
French
Protectorate
In the 19th century, Tunisia was the first Arab country to promulgate
a Constitution and ban slavery, but economic problems, abuses
by the Beys and foreign interference were the source of increased
instability. In 1881, France declared Tunisia a Protectorate,
generating a strong anti-colonial reaction in the country.
Independence
In 1920, the Liberal Constitutional Party (the Destour) was formed
by Tunisian nationalists. The breakaway new Destour, created in
1934, eventually became the driving force behind Tunisian independence.
After a long struggle, Tunisia finally won its independence on
March 20, 1956.
Modern
History
On July 25th, 1957, Habib Bourguiba, the first President of Tunisia,
declared the new nation a Republic. On June 1, 1959, the first
Constitution of the Republic was adopted.
On November 7, 1987, Zine
El Abidine Ben Ali, who at the time was Prime Minister and the
constitutionally ordained successor, became the Republic's second
President, after President Bourguiba became unable, for health
reasons, to continue assuming the duties of the office. Tunisia's
first succession was smooth and peaceful.
[Source: TunisiaOnline]
