Day of Revolution and Youth in Tunisia (14/01)

Every year on December 17, the northernmost African country celebrates the public holiday — Revolution and Youth Day in Tunisia.

This commemorative date was established as recently as the 2010 - 2011 youth revolution that led to the resignation of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14, 2011. Initially, the Day was celebrated on January 14, but in 2022, by Decree of the President of the country, the celebration was postponed to December 17, the — day of the start of revolutionary protests in the country.

From 1881 to 1956, Tunisia was a colony of France, and virtually the entire history of the country in the 20th century is reflected in uprisings against the French protectorate On March 20, 1956, the leader of the Tunisian Independence Movement, Habib Bourguiba, signed a protocol with the French government annulling the 1881 and 1883 agreements on the French protectorate. According to historians, it was the revolutionary events of 1952-1954, the anti-French movements of peasants and miners that created the preconditions and conditions for gaining independence in 1956, and then, in 1957, the abolition of the monarchy.

From 1956 to 2011, Tunisia was led by only two presidents: Habib Bourguiba, removed from power in 1987, and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, under whom the level of corruption in the country increased sharply, the economic situation worsened, and unemployment increased, affecting primarily young people. Small political parties have ceased to have any influence.

As a result, in 2010-2011, a wave of national dissatisfaction with the policies of the President of Tunisia swept across the country. In history it was called the Second Jasmine or Date Revolution. And within the framework of these unrest, it was the youth of the country who opposed the social and economic situation that had developed in the state during the years of the reign of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as President of Tunisia in January 2011 marked the victory of the youth revolution.

On Revolution Day, the Tunisian national flag with a crescent moon is hung in all cities, and festive and ceremonial events are held everywhere.

Let us remind you that on March 20, Tunisia celebrates the main public holiday — Independence Day.

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