Tunisian revolution facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tunisian revolution |
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| الثورة التونسية (Arabic) Part of the Arab Spring |
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| Date | 17 December 2010 – 14 January 2011 (4 weeks) |
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| Death(s) | 338 |
| Injuries | 2,147 |
The Tunisian revolution (Arabic: الثورة التونسية), also called the Jasmine Revolution and Tunisian Revolution of Dignity, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. It eventually led to a thorough democratization of the country and to free and democratic elections, which had led to people believing it was the only successful movement in the Arab Spring.
The demonstrations were caused by high unemployment, food inflation, corruption, a lack of political freedoms (such as freedom of speech), and poor living conditions. The protests constituted the most dramatic wave of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades and resulted in scores of deaths and injuries, most of which were the result of action by police and security forces.
The protests were sparked by the death of Mohamed Bouazizi on 17 December 2010. They led to the ousting of Ben Ali on 14 January 2011, when he officially resigned after fleeing to Saudi Arabia, ending his 23 years in power. Labor unions were an integral part of the protests. The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for "its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Tunisian Revolution of 2011". The protests inspired similar actions throughout the Arab world, in a chain reaction which became known as the Arab Spring movement.
Naming
In Tunisia, and the wider Arab world, the protests and change in government are called the revolution or sometimes called the Sidi Bouzid revolt, the name being derived from Sidi Bouzid, the city where the initial protests began. In the Western media, these events have been dubbed the Jasmine Revolution or Jasmine Spring, after Tunisia's national flower and in keeping with the geopolitical nomenclature of "color revolutions". The name "Jasmine Revolution" originated from American journalist Andy Carvin, but it was not widely adopted in Tunisia itself.
The name adopted in Tunisia was the Dignity Revolution, which is a translation of the Tunisian Arabic name for the revolution, ثورة الكرامة (Thawrat al-Karāmah).
Some analysts have referred to this revolt as the WikiLeaks revolution and the Facebook revolution, as social media was used as a main source of protest during the revolution and WikiLeaks articles contributed to anti-government protests.
Images for kids
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Protesters with a sign that says "Ben Ali, get lost" in French.
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Tunisian soldiers serving as gendarmes
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A Tunisian army tank deployed in front of the Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul in Tunis
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A protest by the General Labour Union
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Nantes, France, demonstration in support of the Tunisian protests
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See also
- 2008 Tunisian protests
- 2011-2012 Tunisian protests
- Art and politics in post-2011 Tunisia
- List of conflicts in Africa
- List of modern conflicts in North Africa
- Operation Tunisia
