Editing Tunisia (section)

=== Post-independence (1956–2011) ===
{{main|History of modern Tunisia}}
[[File:Habib Bourguiba portrait4.jpg|thumb|[[Habib Bourguiba]] was the first president of Tunisia, from 1957 to 1987.|192x192px]]
Tunisia achieved independence from France on 20 March 1956 with [[Habib Bourguiba]] as Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14107720|title=Tunisia profile|date=2017-11-01|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-04-05|language=en-GB}}</ref> 20 March is celebrated annually as Tunisian Independence Day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00016135.html|title=Tunisia Celebrates Independence Day|date=20 March 2012|access-date=19 March 2019|website=[[AllAfrica.com]]}}</ref> A year later, Tunisia was declared a republic, with Bourguiba as [[List of Presidents of Tunisia|the first President]].<ref name = BBC>{{cite news | title = Habib Bourguiba: Father of Tunisia | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/obituaries/703907.stm | publisher = BBC | date = 6 April 2000}}</ref> From independence in 1956 until the 2011 revolution, the government and the [[Constitutional Democratic Rally]] (RCD), formerly [[Neo Destour]] and the [[Socialist Destourian Party]], were effectively one. Following a report by [[Amnesty International]], ''[[The Guardian]]'' called Tunisia "one of the most modern but repressive countries in the Arab world".<ref>{{cite news|last=Black |first= Ian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/13/amnesty-criticises-tunisia-human-rights |title=Amnesty International censures Tunisia over human rights |work=The Guardian |date= 13 July 2010|access-date=19 January 2013 |location=London}}</ref> On 12 May 1964, Tunisia nationalized foreign farmlands.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=23 May 1964 |title=Tunisia Will Seek Loan From Public |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/115791987|id={{ProQuest|115791987}} }}</ref> Immediately after, France canceled all financial assistance for the country, which was to amount to more than $40 million.<ref name=":1" /> This led to the Tunisian National Assembly passing a bill that required all residents of the country to subscribe to a "popular loan" in proportion to their income.<ref name=":1" /> From 1977 until 2005, Tunisia was a shooting location for five films of the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' film franchise.

In 1982, Tunisia became the center of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], based in the capital Tunis.
[[File:Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.jpg|thumb|[[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]], president of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011|209x209px]]
In November 1987, doctors declared Bourguiba unfit to rule<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/obituaries/703907.stm|title=Habib Bourguiba: Father of Tunisia|type=obituary|website=BBC News|access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> and, in a bloodless coup d'état, Prime Minister [[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]] assumed the presidency<ref name = BBC/> in accordance with Article 57 of the [[Tunisian constitution]].<ref>{{cite news|author=AP |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/07/world/a-coup-is-reported-in-tunisia.html?pagewanted=1 |title=A Coup Is Reported in Tunisia |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=7 November 1987 |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> The anniversary of Ben Ali's succession, 7 November, was celebrated as a national holiday. He was consistently re-elected with enormous majorities every five years (well over 80 percent of the vote), the last being 25 October 2009,<ref>{{cite web|last=Vely |first= Yannick |url=http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/International/Ben-Ali-tunisie-election-143751 |title=Ben Ali, sans discussion |publisher=ParisMatch.com |date=23 November 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> until he fled the country amid popular unrest in January 2011.

Ben Ali and his family were accused of corruption<ref name="sandiegounion-tribune.com">{{cite web|last1=Ganley |first1=Elaine |last2=Barchfield |first2=Jenny |url=http://www.sandiegounion-tribune.com/news/2011/jan/17/tunisians-hail-fall-of-ex-leaders-corrupt-family/ |title=Tunisians hail fall of ex-leader's corrupt family |publisher=Sandiegounion-tribune.com |date=17 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716003853/http://www.sandiegounion-tribune.com/news/2011/jan/17/tunisians-hail-fall-of-ex-leaders-corrupt-family/ |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref> and plundering the country's money. Economic liberalisation provided further opportunities for financial mismanagement,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tsourapas|first=Gerasimos|s2cid=154822868|date=2013|title=The Other Side of a Neoliberal Miracle: Economic Reform and Political De-Liberalization in Ben Ali's Tunisia|journal=Mediterranean Politics|volume=18|issue=1|pages=23–41|doi=10.1080/13629395.2012.761475}}</ref> while corrupt members of the Trabelsi family, most notably in the cases of [[Imed Trabelsi]] and [[Belhassen Trabelsi]], controlled much of the business sector in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radicalparty.org/it/node/5065065 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008174858/http://www.radicalparty.org/it/node/5065065 |archive-date=8 October 2010 |title=Tunisie: comment s'enrichit le clan Ben Ali? |trans-title=Tunisia: how did the Ben Ali clan get rich? |language=fr|publisher=RadicalParty.org |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> The First Lady [[Leila Ben Ali]] was described as an "unabashed [[Oniomania|shopaholic]]" who used the state airplane to make frequent unofficial trips to Europe's fashion capitals.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Caught in the Net: Tunisia's First Lady|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2007/12/13/caught_in_the_net_tunisias_first_lady|magazine=Foreign Policy|date=13 December 2007}}</ref> Tunisia refused a French request for the extradition of two of the President's nephews, from Leila's side, who were accused by the French State prosecutor of having stolen two mega-yachts from a French marina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lci.tf1.fr/france/justice/2009-09/un-trafic-de-yachts-entre-la-france-et-la-tunisie-en-proces-4865862.html|title=Ajaccio – Un trafic de yachts entre la France et la Tunisie en procès|date=30 September 2009|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204309/http://lci.tf1.fr/france/justice/2009-09/un-trafic-de-yachts-entre-la-france-et-la-tunisie-en-proces-4865862.html|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> According to ''[[Le Monde]]'', Ben Ali's son-in-law was being primed to eventually take over the country.<ref>{{cite web|author=Florence Beaugé |url=http://www.tunisiawatch.com/?p=1141 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121043720/http://www.tunisiawatch.com/?p=1141 |archive-date=21 January 2011 |title=Le parcours fulgurant de Sakhr El-Materi, gendre du président tunisien Ben Ali |language=fr |trans-title=The meteoric career of Sakhr El-Materi, son-in-law of Tunisian President Ben Ali |work=Le Monde |date=24 October 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref>

Independent human rights groups, such as [[Amnesty International]], [[Freedom House]], and Protection International, documented that basic human and political rights were not respected.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/tunisia |title=Tunisia |publisher=Amnesty International |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=9 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509172440/http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/tunisia }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.protectionline.org/Kamel-Jendoubi-Sihem-Bensedrine.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429093617/http://www.protectionline.org/Kamel-Jendoubi-Sihem-Bensedrine.html |archive-date=29 April 2011 |title=Protectionline.org |publisher=Protectionline.org |date=18 January 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref> The regime obstructed in any way possible the work of local human rights organizations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/053/article_27950.asp |title=Droits de l'Homme: après le harcèlement, l'asphyxie |language=fr |trans-title=Human rights: after harassment, asphyxiation |publisher=RFI.fr |date=16 December 2004 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=5 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505125306/http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/053/article_27950.asp }}</ref> In 2008, in terms of [[press freedom]], Tunisia was ranked 143rd out of 173.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fr.rsf.org/dans-le-monde-de-l-apres-11-22-10-2008,28879 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114230027/http://fr.rsf.org/dans-le-monde-de-l-apres-11-22-10-2008,28879 |archive-date=14 January 2011 |title=Dans le monde de l'après-11 septembre, seule la paix protège les libertés |publisher=RSF.org |date=22 October 2008 |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref>