Word: bourguiba
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Dates: during 1952-1952
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...Militant nationalism, smoldering for 50 years, burst suddenly into open flame when the French jailed political leader Habib Bourguiba...
...burst suddenly into open flame. Over the years, France had granted Tunisians more & more voice in their internal affairs in an effort to stave off Tunisian demands for independence. Over the years, Tunisia's nationalists, led by a dynamic yet reasonable and sternly anti-Communist Arab named Habib Bourguiba, 48, had remained dissatisfied. Two weeks ago, as a new French Resident-General arrived to exercise his country's sovereignty in Tunisia, the nationalist patience gave out. "It is not a question," grey-eyed Bourguiba told his people on that calm, sunny day in the arsenal town of Ferryville...
...spark in dry tinder. Within a week, nationalist resentment had flashed into open rebellion; 130 Arabs were wounded in a clash with French police at Beja; 15 were hurt in another riot at Ferryville. The French acted promptly, arrested five nationalist leaders plus a handful of Communists, and sent Bourguiba himself into "exile" in a small village in the north...
...news of Bourguiba's arrest made matters worse. Some 55,000 members of Tunisia's militantly anti-Communist trade union went out on strike, followed by many workers of the Communists' own union. At Mateur, railhead for the French naval base city of Bizerte, a crowd of 2,000 angry demonstrators surged out of the yellow-walled native district to storm police headquarters. For 45 minutes, the French held firm, refusing to fire as the mob swarmed over their tanks, smashing ports and prying open the turrets. "I'm going to fire," a young tank captain...
...untried Premier Edgar Faure. After heavy debate, he won a vote from the French Assembly in support of his plan to give Tunisia "neither a policy of abandonment nor a fist on the table." But the confidence was not reflected in Tunisia. "He uses vague language," said Habib Bourguiba, "so all the parties will find what they want. If there is no outside pressure, there will never be progress. The French colonists are always stronger than the French government. The agitation will keep on until world opinion interferes to stop this massacre." Yet Bourguiba still spoke mildly, demanding...