SEEKING INDEPENDENCE

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The Dostour (Constitution) party which is the first Tunisian nationalist party was formed in as early as 1920 , however Its demands for democratic government was opposed by the French who responded with troops and arrests and , for a while , managed to suspend nationalist initiatives .

In 1934 , a young charismatic lawyer , Habib Bour¬guiba (1903-2000) , broke away from the Destour Party and founded the Neo-Destour Party . The new party quickly spread and received large Support , however the French again turned their guns on demonstrators in Tunis on ~ April 1938 , killing dozens of people , furthermore the party was banned and Bourguiba was ar¬rested and deported to France . In spite of that , the French suppression this time merely increased the Neo-Destour's support .

When the French forces , under Charles De Gaulle , took control of Tunisia after the German defeat in 1943 , they quickly implemented uncompromising antinationalist policies . Bourguiba , who had returned to Tunisia in 1943 , fled to Cairo , from where he carried out a successful propaganda campaign aimed at bringing the Neo-Destour's demands to international attention . By 1951 - the year neighboring Libya received its independence - the French showed their readiness towards making concessions . A nationalist government was set up and Bourguiba was allowed to return to Tunisia , however , the French quickly changed their minds - and exiled Bourguiba for a third time . The event caused Nationalist guerrilla violence and the country soon became in a state of chaos .
In July 1954 , French premier Pierre Mendes ¬announced France's readiness for negotiations . In June 1955 an agreement was announced and Bourguiba returned to his country as a hero welcomed by the whole nation . Tunisia was formally granted full independence on 20 March 1956 , with Bourguiba as prime minister , and after one year , the last bey was deposed and the country was declared a republic with Bourguiba as Tunisia's first president .