Habib Bourguiba

Habib Bourguiba (born Aug. 3, 1903, Monastir, Tun.—died April 6, 2000, Monastir) was the architect of Tunisia’s independence and first president of Tunisia (1957–87), one of the major voices of moderation and gradualism in the Arab world.

Early life

Bourguiba was born the seventh child of Ali Bourguiba, a former lieutenant in the army of the bey (ruler) of Tunisia, in the small fishing village of Monastir. At an early age he was sent to the Ṣadīqī (Sadiki) College in Tunis and later to the Lycée Carnot in the same city for his secondary education. There he was introduced to French culture and Western thought, even as he consolidated his education in Arabic and Islamic studies. In 1924 he went to Paris to study law and political science at the Sorbonne, where he developed contacts with Algerian and Moroccan pro-independence intellectuals. He also absorbed many of the philosophical and ideological currents of the time and was drawn especially to the secularist and reformist traditions of French bourgeois life.

Bourguiba returned to Tunisia in 1927, where he practiced law and became engaged in the political struggle for independence, notably through the foundation in 1932 of a nationalist newspaper (L’Action Tunisienne) and his activity in the Destour (Constitution) Party. He soon became frustrated with the leaders of the Destour, whom he considered to be conservative and timid. In 1934 Bourguiba and some of his associates called a special party congress in Ksar Hellal (Qaṣr Hallāl) and established their own party—the New Destour, or Neo-Destour, Party (from 1964 to 1987 the Destourian Socialist Party [Parti Socialiste Destourien], and later the Democratic Constitutional Rally [Rassemblement Constitutionnel Démocratique])—of which Bourguiba became the secretary-general. Bourguiba encouraged his fellow Tunisians to confront the colonial rulers, resulting in his exile by the French to prison in the desolate south. By that time he was an acknowledged leader of the developing nationalist movement, with a reputation for fiery and inspiring oration; he had become known as the combattant suprême (Arabic: al-mujāhid al-akbar).

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Attainment of power

Upon his release from prison in 1936, Bourguiba focused his energies on building up the organizational structures of the party. He realized that the old Destour had failed to mobilize the masses because it had remained the province of urban intellectuals. To be effective, the Neo-Destour would have to develop truly national appeal, with branches in rural areas to recruit and train new party members in large numbers. He supported organized labour, in particular the establishment of the National Tunisian Union of Labour (Union Générale des Travailleurs Tunisiens), partly as a way of countering the influence of the Communist-supported General Confederation of Tunisian Workers (Confédération Générale des Travailleurs) and partly to tie working-class interests to the nationalist cause. Under his direction the party also established new organizations to mobilize students, craftsmen, farmers, and women, which would later form the organizational and institutional bases of Neo-Destour rule.

After a second period of internment, this time in French military prisons (1938–42), Bourguiba returned to a German-occupied Tunis. Convinced that the Allies would ultimately prevail, he refused to throw in his lot with the Germans. In 1945 he left the country for Egypt, where he continued to advocate Tunisian independence. He also traveled around Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, attempting to win supporters to his cause and demonstrating the pragmatic, nonaligned diplomacy that would serve him so well in his later life. Returning to Tunisia in 1949, he once again toured the country. By 1950 the Destour was represented in the Tunisian government, which was negotiating relations with France. Lacking official status, Bourguiba was excluded from the talks, which themselves yielded little progress. In 1951 he traveled to Paris to try to break the deadlocked discussions. With strikes and demonstrations in favour of independence at home and the French determined to protect the interests of their settlers, tensions mounted.

Bourguiba was arrested again in 1952 and detained, first in Tunisia and later in France. In 1954, however, as Tunisian nationalists turned to terrorism, the French government began negotiations with Bourguiba, recognizing Tunisia’s internal autonomy as a first step. A new government, which included the Neo-Destour, was formed with the express purpose of negotiating an end to French rule. The first stage was completed in June 1955 when the internal autonomy convention was signed, limiting French control to matters of defense and foreign affairs. One of Bourguiba’s fellow Neo-Destour leaders, Salah Ben Youssef, argued against the accords, and the party was split, resolving in Bourguiba’s favour only after a congress in which Ben Youssef was expelled from the party. Bourguiba subsequently worked to prevent any individual from developing a power base within the party to such an extent as could threaten either party unity or Bourguiba’s own authority.

After further negotiations the Protocol of March 20, 1956—in effect a treaty of independence—was signed between Tunisia and France. In 1957 agreement was reached, in principle, for the evacuation of French forces from the country (with the exception of a base at Bizerte). The monarchy was abolished, and Bourguiba was elected president of the new republic.

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