Habib Bourguiba was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia then as the first president of Tunisia.
164 Facts About Habib Bourguiba
2.
Habib Bourguiba graduated from the University of Paris and the Paris Institute of Political Studies in 1927 and returned to Tunis to practice law.
3.
Habib Bourguiba rose as a key figure of the independence movement and was repeatedly arrested by the colonial administration.
4.
In 1945, Bourguiba was released and moved to Cairo, Egypt, to seek the support of the Arab League.
5.
Habib Bourguiba returned to the country in 1949 and rose to prominence as the leader of the national movement.
6.
Habib Bourguiba was arrested and imprisoned on La Galite Island for two years, before being exiled in France.
7.
Habib Bourguiba returned victorious to Tunis on 1 June 1955, but was challenged by Salah Ben Youssef in the party leadership.
8.
Habib Bourguiba was elected interim President of Tunisia by parliament until the ratification of the Constitution.
9.
Habib Bourguiba set a strong presidential system which turned to be a twenty-year one-party state dominated by his own, the Socialist Destourian Party.
10.
Habib Bourguiba remained there to his death and was buried in a mausoleum he had previously built.
11.
Habib Bourguiba was born in Monastir, the eighth child and final son of Ali Habib Bourguiba and Fatouma Khefacha.
12.
Habib Bourguiba's official birthdate is 3 August 1903, though he stated he was likely born a year earlier, on 3 August 1902, or possibly 1901.
13.
Habib Bourguiba's mother gave birth to him when she was 40, which, according to Habib Bourguiba, was a source of great shame for her.
14.
Habib Bourguiba was enrolled in the army by general Ahmed Zarrouk, and spent nineteen years of his life campaigning before retiring.
15.
Eager to avoid such a fate for his last child, he decided to ensure Habib Bourguiba obtained his Certificat d'etudes primaires, which would dispense him from military service, just like his elder sons.
16.
Around the time Habib Bourguiba was born, his father became councilman, and was, therefore, part of the notables of the city.
17.
Habib Bourguiba grew up among women, as his brother was in Tunis and his father was elderly.
18.
Habib Bourguiba spent his days with his mother, grandmother and sister, Aicha and Nejia, which permitted him to notice the casual household chores of women and their inequality with men.
19.
Meanwhile, Habib Bourguiba settled in the wealthy neighbourhood of Tourbet el Bey in the medina of Tunis, where his brother, M'hamed, rented a lodging on Korchani Street.
20.
The young Habib Bourguiba spent his vacations in Monastir, aiding others with chores.
21.
Habib Bourguiba earned his certificat d'etudes primaires in 1913, which greatly satisfied his father.
22.
Habib Bourguiba avoided military service, and, like his elders, was admitted as an internal in Sadiki College to pursue his secondary studies freely.
23.
Habib Bourguiba's mother died in November 1913, when he was 10 years old.
24.
When World War I started in September 1914, Habib Bourguiba moved out from his brother's house and settled in the dormitories of Sadiki College.
25.
Habib Bourguiba admired Habib Jaouahdou, a student who told others about national struggles beyond the walls of high school.
26.
Jaouahdou proposed that they welcome Abdelaziz Thaalbi when he returned from exile, Habib Bourguiba being part of the welcoming Sadiki delegation.
27.
Habib Bourguiba's journey in there, which lasted 21 months from January 1920, was a major turning point in his life.
28.
Habib Bourguiba rehearsed with his brother, who had a passion for theater and performed on stage.
29.
Habib Bourguiba expressed his will to pursue his secondary studies and thus, study law in France, so he could struggle against the colonial power.
30.
In high school, Habib Bourguiba achieved high grades in Mathematics with the help of the new teacher that taught him.
31.
Habib Bourguiba obtained excellent results and ended up choosing Philosophy section, after passing the first part of baccalaureate.
32.
Habib Bourguiba became friends with Tahar Sfar and Bahri Guiga.
33.
Habib Bourguiba often went to libraries and showed interest in history even though, sometimes, he skipped classes, mainly on Friday afternoons, to attend Habiba Msika's performance of L'Aiglon.
34.
Habib Bourguiba was affected by the inequalities between French and Tunisians.
35.
On 22 April 1922, Habib Bourguiba was part of the protesters to support the monarch.
36.
Habib Bourguiba benefited from the support of his brother Mahmoud, who promised to send him 50 francs per month.
37.
When he arrived in Paris, Habib Bourguiba settled in Saint-Severin hotel, near Place Saint-Michel, where he occupied a room located on the sixth floor for 150 francs per month.
38.
Habib Bourguiba often participated in political debates, read newspapers and followed closely the evolution of French politics during the Third Republic.
39.
Habib Bourguiba's conditions improved as he moved in the University Campus in Jourdan boulevard, where he lodged in room number 114.
40.
Habib Bourguiba obtained a financial aid from his friend and protector, Mounier-Pillet, who was his former teacher in Monastir.
41.
One day in 1925, while tidying his room, Habib Bourguiba found the address of a woman his protector recommended him to meet: Mathilde Lefras, a 35 years old widow whose husband died during the war.
42.
Habib Bourguiba met her for the first time in her apartment, on the first floor of a building in the 20th arrondissement of Paris.
43.
Habib Bourguiba invited him to enter and asked him to tell his story.
44.
Habib Bourguiba obtained respectively a bachelor's degree in law and the higher degree of political studies from the Paris Institute of Political Studies.
45.
Habib Bourguiba then resigned to work for Mr Salah Farhat, chairman of the Destour party, until Mr Sebault hired him for 600 francs per month, which led Habib Bourguiba to work for him for an additional year to the three mandatory ones.
46.
On 8 January 1929, while replacing his brother who could not attend a conference held by Habiba Menchari, an unveiled woman who advocated gender equality, Bourguiba defended Tunisian identity, culture and religion by opposing Menchari's position to rid women of their veils.
47.
Habib Bourguiba responded saying that Tunisia was threatened by the forfeiture of its personality and that it had to be preserved until the country was emancipated.
48.
Habib Bourguiba remained neutral when Tahar Haddad was dismissed from his notary duties.
49.
Habib Bourguiba estimated at that moment, that the main goals were political, while other problems of society were secondary.
50.
Habib Bourguiba insisted that Tunisian identity had to be affirmed, declaring: "Let us be what we are before becoming what we will".
51.
Habib Bourguiba denounced the rejoicing, in the newspaper Le Croissant, ran by his cousin Abdelaziz El Aroui, as a "humiliating affront to the dignity of the Tunisian people to whom he recalls the loss of freedom and independence".
52.
Habib Bourguiba multiplied his denunciations of the attempts aiming the Tunisian personality but the beylical decree system and Europeans' advantages in his numerous articles in L'Etendard tunisien and La Voix du Tunisien, claiming Tunisian access to all administrative positions.
53.
Habib Bourguiba, who saw his popularity increase thanks to his writings, frequented often intellectual circles whom he had just met.
54.
Habib Bourguiba showed both clarity and accuracy in his writings, which revealed a talented polemicist, thanks to his strong legal expertise.
55.
In February 1933, when M'hamed Chenik, banker and chairman of the Tunisian credit union, got into trouble with the Residence, Habib Bourguiba is the only one to defend him.
56.
Habib Bourguiba decided to react and unleash a campaign to support the protests in L'Action Tunisienne which will soon be reprised by numerous nationalist newspapers, denouncing an attempt to Frenchify the "whole Tunisian people".
57.
The firm stance of Habib Bourguiba led him to acquire a strong popularity among the nationalist circles.
58.
Habib Bourguiba deprived of his freedom of speech in this repression atmosphere and trapped inside the Destour moderate policy, aspired to get his autonomy back.
59.
Soon, law enforcement and population started a fight, which led Habib Bourguiba to convince certain Monastirians to choose him as their lawyer.
60.
Soon referred to as "rebels", they were joined by Habib Bourguiba and decided to undertake a campaign all over the country and explain their political positions to the people.
61.
The congress ended with the founding of a new political party, the Neo-Destour, presided by El Materi, and Habib Bourguiba was designated chairman.
62.
Therefore, Habib Bourguiba traveled all around the country and used new methods of communication different from that of the Destour elders.
63.
Habib Bourguiba was arrested and then sent to Kebili, in the south, under military supervision.
64.
Therefore, Habib Bourguiba wished that Abdelaziz Thaalbi, founder of the Destour who had just returned from exile, endorsed the Neo-Destour to strengthen its positions.
65.
In Mateur, the fight ended with numerous deaths and injured but Habib Bourguiba succeeded in strengthening his positions and appearing as the unique leader of the nationalist movement, rejecting, once and for all Pan-Arabism and anti-occidentalism.
66.
At the time, Habib Bourguiba was hesitant to choose between the two factions because he needed the support of the youth to gain domination upon the Neo-Destour, the leadership still being among the founding moderate members.
67.
Habib Bourguiba, who helped numerous young people join the leadership, strengthened his position and authority among the Neo-Destour and ended up victorious.
68.
At the outbreak of World War II, Habib Bourguiba was transferred on board of a destroyer, into the fort of Saint-Nicolas in Marseille on 26 May 1940.
69.
Habib Bourguiba was transferred to Lyon and imprisoned in Montluc prison on 18 November 1942 then in Fort de Vancia until Klaus Barbie decided to free him and take him to Chalon-sur-Saone.
70.
Habib Bourguiba was greatly welcomed in Rome, alongside Ben Youssef and Ben Slimane, in January 1943, upon the request of Benito Mussolini who hoped to use Bourguiba to weaken the French resistance in North Africa.
71.
Habib Bourguiba, who was closely watched, did not feel like resuming the fight.
72.
Habib Bourguiba then decided to flee in Egypt and in order to do that, crossed the Libyan borders, disguised as a caravan, on 23 March 1945 and arrived in Cairo in April.
73.
Habib Bourguiba settled in Cairo, Egypt where he was aided by his former monasterial teacher, Mounier-Pillet, who lived in the Egyptian Capital city.
74.
Habib Bourguiba met Syrians, who had just obtained their independence from France, and thus stated that "with the means they dispose, Arab countries should show solidarity with the national liberation struggles of the Maghreb".
75.
Furthermore, Habib Bourguiba's speech was famous among the Anglo-Saxon media, and Maghrebi nationalism became more efficient in Cairo.
76.
Habib Bourguiba was more and more convinced that the key to the nationalist struggle resided within the United States whose interests were same as those of the Maghrebi nationalists.
77.
On 2 December 1946, Habib Bourguiba arrived in New York City while the session of the General Assembly of the United Nations opened.
78.
Habib Bourguiba based this idea on the United Nations Charter, signed by France and which stipulated the right of nation to self-determination.
79.
Habib Bourguiba, then, was strongly convinced he could bring up the Tunisian case in the international with the help of the five Arab states members of the United Nations.
80.
In March 1947, Habib Bourguiba came back to Cairo and, for nearly a year, tried to convince Arab leaders to introduce the Tunisian Case to the UN.
81.
When he returned to Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba decided to start a campaign to regain control of the party.
82.
From November 1949 to March 1950, Habib Bourguiba visited cities such as Bizerte, Medjez el-Bab and Sfax and saw his popularity increase, thanks to his charisma and oratory skills.
83.
Therefore, Habib Bourguiba felt that an endorsement from the bey was not only necessary, but vital.
84.
In Tunis, Perillier, endorsed by Habib Bourguiba, favoured the constitution of a new Tunisian cabinet, led by M'hamed Chenik with neo-destourian participation to mark the liberal turning decided by France.
85.
From 1950, even though he continued to negotiate with France, Habib Bourguiba was considering the use of arms and violence to get things done.
86.
Thanks to Farhat Hached, Habib Bourguiba obtained an invitation to take part in the event.
87.
Habib Bourguiba's goals consisted in obtaining funds and arms for the armed struggle but convince the rest of the world to introduce the Tunisian issue in the United Nations.
88.
Meanwhile, Habib Bourguiba was transferred to Tabarka where he kept a surprising flexibility and freedom of movement.
89.
Habib Bourguiba soon understood De Hautecloque's maneuvers as his desire for Bourguiba to exile himself in nearby Algeria.
90.
Habib Bourguiba was even interviewed by Tunis Soir and was visited by Hedi Nouira and Farhat Hached.
91.
Habib Bourguiba, deprived of posts and newspapers called for the intensification of the resistance.
92.
Nevertheless, Habib Bourguiba remained detained in La Galite Island with a softening of imprisonment conditions.
93.
Meanwhile, Habib Bourguiba received representatives of Neo-Destour in Paris, under the supervision of the Direction centrale des renseignements generaux.
94.
Habib Bourguiba was given the right to settle in the hotel where the Tunisian delegation lodged.
95.
Habib Bourguiba wanted the fight to be over to fasten the negotiations for the internal autonomy.
96.
Habib Bourguiba had among the party numerous supporters of the stepwise policy of his.
97.
Furthermore, Habib Bourguiba intervened a second time to reassure the resistance leaders of his confidence in Mendes France and reiterated his guarantee of their security.
98.
On 21 April 1954, an interview between Faure and Habib Bourguiba aimed to conclude the agreements for the internal autonomy.
99.
Habib Bourguiba tried to ease tensions and persuade Ben Youssef to get back to Tunisia, but in vain, the secretary-general of the party eager to remain in Cairo, until further notice.
100.
On 1 June 1955, Habib Bourguiba returned triumphant to Tunisia on board of the Ville d'Alger boat.
101.
Therefore, Habib Bourguiba started an information campaign which was successful, especially in Kairouan, who was seduced by the leader's charisma and decided to rally his cause.
102.
Therefore, Habib Bourguiba ran to represent the constituents of Monastir, as the Neo-Destour candidate.
103.
Habib Bourguiba accepted and was officially invited by the bey, three days after his election as head of the assembly, to form a cabinet.
104.
Furthermore, Habib Bourguiba combined the offices of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense.
105.
Habib Bourguiba reorganized Tunisia's administrative divisions, creating a modern structure made of 14 governorates, divided in delegations and managed by appointed governors.
106.
Habib Bourguiba pursued negotiations with France in order to have full control over diplomacy, as France still had a say over foreign policy until an agreement was found.
107.
Habib Bourguiba discussed defense issues with France, arguing that French military ought to evacuate the country.
108.
Habib Bourguiba requested progressive evacuation upon the negotiations that started in July 1956.
109.
Nevertheless, Habib Bourguiba refused to negotiate while the territory was still occupied and demanded the French forces to regroup in Bizerte immediately, arguing that the protectorate was over.
110.
Habib Bourguiba ended Ez-Zitouna Mosque's education purposes by creating Ez-Zitouna University, which taught Islamic knowledge under the supervision of the ministry of Education.
111.
Habib Bourguiba started a gender equality campaign, advocating for women rights including: universal education for girls equally with boys, women admission to employment under the same conditions as men, free consent to marriage and veil removal.
112.
On 13 August 1956, Habib Bourguiba enacted the Code of Personal Status, a major legislation that reorganized families.
113.
Habib Bourguiba reformed the judicial system, suppressing religious courts and initiating governmental ones.
114.
The very evening, Habib Bourguiba declared the "evacuation battle" of Bizerte open.
115.
Habib Bourguiba presented the National Constituent Assembly with a bill repealing the 1942 convention specifying that "Bizerte was not part of Tunisian territory but was a french harbor".
116.
Unlike his Arab counterparts, Habib Bourguiba based his priorities on education and health, to the detriment of arming and defense.
117.
Habib Bourguiba abolished the dual system of justice, ended the influence of religious on the judiciary and established civil courts.
118.
On 20 December 1962, the government announced the discovery of a conspiracy aiming to overthrow President Habib Bourguiba and assassinate him.
119.
Habib Bourguiba's remarriage with Wassila Ben Ammar, on 12 April 1962, was a missed occasion for the Tunisois to limit Ben Salah's encroachment.
120.
Habib Bourguiba specifically aimed the trade provided by Djerbiens in which Ben Salah saw a conservative caste.
121.
On 28 April 1964, Habib Bourguiba demanded the start of negotiations on agricultural lands detained by foreigns.
122.
In July 1965, following an accident on a ship connecting Sfax to Kerkennah Islands, the TGLU chairman, Habib Bourguiba Achour was arrested and replaced at the head of the labour union.
123.
Habib Bourguiba proposed the United Nations the creation of a Federation between the Arab states of the region and Israel.
124.
On 8 June 1970, Habib Bourguiba told the Tunisian people about the failure of this experiment saying:.
125.
Habib Bourguiba, henceforth, urged the adoption of reforms aiming to restructure both the State organization and the SDP one.
126.
In January 1971, before leaving for treatment in the United States, Habib Bourguiba signed a decree, delegating his powers to Nouira, which consolidated the Achour-Nouira alliance, opposed to Minister of the Interior, Ahmed Mestiri.
127.
In May 1973, Habib Bourguiba met with Algerian President Houari Boumediene in Kef.
128.
In January 1974, Habib Bourguiba met with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Jerba.
129.
However, due to opposition inside the country and abroad, Habib Bourguiba was forced to abandon the project, claiming the unconstitutionality of the referendum.
130.
In 1978, Habib Bourguiba was obliged to denounce the Camp David Accords under the pressure of his partners, which had a part in Tunisia welcoming the headquarters of the Arab League then those of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
131.
At noon, President Habib Bourguiba gave the army orders to get involved and put an end to the uprising.
132.
True to its ongoing strategy not to reopen wounds, Habib Bourguiba gave the order to move on.
133.
However, during the SPD congress of April 1981, Habib Bourguiba made a historical speech in favor of political pluralism:.
134.
Habib Bourguiba carried out his promises with the legalization of two new political parties, on 19 November 1983: The Movement of Socialist Democrats and the Popular Unity Party, former allies of Ben Salah.
135.
President Habib Bourguiba agreed to seek a loan from the International Monetary Fund.
136.
President Habib Bourguiba announced on 6 January 1984 that the increase in the price of bread and flour had been cancelled.
137.
Habib Bourguiba succeeded in sending away from Carthage, Bourguiba Jr.
138.
Habib Bourguiba sought support against Islamism from General Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, whom he appointed interior minister in 1986 and prime minister in October 1987.
139.
Habib Bourguiba had been in ill health from the 1970s onward.
140.
Habib Bourguiba fired the general manager of a major newspaper only 24 hours after appointing him.
141.
Habib Bourguiba fired the head of the country's United Nations delegation only a few days after appointing him, and forgot about a decree he had signed to appoint new ministers.
142.
Habib Bourguiba stated being well treated by the new regime.
143.
Habib Bourguiba was, sometimes, visited by foreigners and President Ben Ali.
144.
On 5 March 2000, Habib Bourguiba was rushed to the Tunis military hospital, following a pneumonitis.
145.
Habib Bourguiba's condition deemed critical, he underwent thoracentesis while in the ICU.
146.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stated that Habib Bourguiba was "One of the Maghreb most influential personalities of the 20th century, which Africa and the entire world can boast".
147.
Habib Bourguiba led his country to independence, then founded the second civil Republic in the Arab World after that of Lebanon.
148.
Habib Bourguiba then participated in the building of a Nation-State by "Tunizifying" his country.
149.
Habib Bourguiba insisted on the part Bourguiba had in reforming the country, alongside other great personalities in Tunisia history, such as Kheireddine Pacha and Tahar Haddad.
150.
However, others question the extent of success in this battle for development and the role Habib Bourguiba had in this evolution.
151.
Habib Bourguiba had developed his own doctrine that he called "Bourguibism" but which is similar to pragmatism.
152.
Habib Bourguiba thought in this manner mainly because the actions were based on what he considered real possibilities, not aspirations, unlike "the all or nothing" policy, advocated and supported by some.
153.
In reality, it permitted Habib Bourguiba to enjoy a freedom of action that led him to political opportunism, allowing him to impose not only breakthrough changes but spectacular turnabouts.
154.
Habib Bourguiba understood the opposition he would face but decided to act, before even building the Republic.
155.
Nevertheless, he was supported by some religious personalities, such as Mohamed Fadhel Ben Achour, who defended Habib Bourguiba's reform, stating that the CPS are possible interpretations of Islam.
156.
For Habib Bourguiba, religion, associated to the Destourian party, had historically favored the colonization of Tunisia.
157.
Habib Bourguiba was very critical of the veil, on various occasions referring to it as "that odious rag".
158.
Since 1956, Habib Bourguiba started to build the foundations of higher education in Tunisia, including the creation of universities and specialized institutes.
159.
Habib Bourguiba, who advocated independence insisting on the maturity of the Tunisian people, ended up judging that his country was not prepared for democracy and political pluralism and even proclaimed himself president for life.
160.
Consequently, once the bases of a modern state were built, Habib Bourguiba chose gradually a "paternalistic authoritarian" regime.
161.
Habib Bourguiba himself admitted this when a journalist asked him about Tunisia's political system.
162.
Yet Habib Bourguiba himself made the diagnosis of the dangers of political archaism that threatened the country.
163.
In 1925, while he was a student in Paris, Habib Bourguiba met Mathilde Lorrain with whom he settled.
164.
On 12 April 1962, Habib Bourguiba married Wassila Ben Ammar, a woman from a family of Tunis bourgeoisie he had known for 18 years.