The Tunisian Revolution

The uprising that toppled Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and began the wider Arab Spring.

Background

Tunisia had been ruled by Ben Ali since 1987. The country had some economic growth, but unemployment among educated young people was high, regional inequality was deep, and political freedoms and the press were tightly restricted.

Course of events

On 17 December 2010 the street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid in protest at harassment by officials. Protests spread across the country and reached the capital, despite deadly repression. Ben Ali left Tunisia on 14 January 2011.

Legacy

Tunisia held free elections and adopted a new constitution in 2014, and it is often seen as the Arab Spring's most successful case, though it later faced economic problems and political crises. The uprising inspired protests across the Arab world.