The last battle, How did the Tunisian armed revolution defeat French colonialism?

Seven decades after the last battle in the course of the national struggle for the country's independence from French colonialism, Tunisians today remember the most important stations of the armed popular revolution, and the national symbols that announced the armed struggle to seize independence and national sovereignty.

Tunisia's attainment of independence on March 20, 1956, was the fruit of a long procession of national struggle and struggle and thousands of martyrs.

While Tunisians celebrate each year the date of their independence and obtaining national sovereignty, in the meantime, they recall the many heroic stations that the country went through on its way to independence, but some of them missed a historical milestone that was considered, according to many historians and activists, the true beginning of independence. .

The popular armed revolution launched by the Tunisians in 1952 has always been the forgotten revolution, although it was an important reason for defeating colonialism and crowning the heroism of the resistance fighters and national and militant symbols for years.

National leaders call for armed struggle

After many negotiations and political pressures, Tunisians were able in 1950 to form the first Tunisian government headed by Mohamed Chneik, without referring to the French colonizer. At that time, the Tunisian government pledged to lead negotiations with France for the country's independence.

Contrary to what was agreed upon, France gradually repudiated all its commitments, until this led to the interruption of the channel of dialogue between it and the Tunisian government, despite all diplomatic and political efforts.

This led to popular anger and frustration, and ignited protests and popular demands, led at that time by the New Constitutional Party led by its then president Habib Bourguiba, and the Tunisian General Labor Union led by the nomads Farhat Hached, in addition to youth, scout, student and women's organizations.

France at that time tried to contain the demonstrations and abort any protest or movement that would weaken its grip on the country, so it appointed a new Resident-General, Jean de Hotcluck, who was described by many as a fanatic and hardliner.

The day the new Resident-General arrived in Tunisia, on January 13, 1952, coincided with the day Bourguiba addressed the Tunisian masses, in the city of Bizerte, in the north of the country, calling on them to confront the occupier.

The Constitutional Party's call for military resistance was one of the many patriotic voices that at that time called for the necessity of armed struggle against the French colonizer.

At that time, a Tunisian delegation, including Saleh Ben Youssef and Mohamed Badra, also submitted a complaint against the French occupier to the United Nations.

These movements and protests exacerbated the anger of the French forces, which launched a massive arrest campaign against many activists and national leaders, including Habib Bourguiba and Mongi Slim. On the morning of January 18, 1952, a few hours before the convening of the fourth secret congress of the New Constitutional Party, scheduled to demand the abolition of the French protectorate, the declaration of Tunisia's independence, and the organization of its relationship with France on the basis of mutual respect.

Armed popular revolution the last battle

The news of the arrest of Bourguiba, Mongi Selim and some activists angered the Tunisian street, and strikes and protests spread throughout the country, and many clashes took place between the demonstrators and the French occupation forces, which the French forces met with bullets, and resulted in dozens of wounded and dead.

This was the spark of the armed popular revolution that spread to all parts of the country. Several armed battles erupted from the north of the country to the far south, in which the ranks of the Tunisians united.

The French forces tried to confront these popular movements, and in the meantime, the arrests of all Tunisian organizations, parties and currents expanded, and the prisons were filled with thousands of Tunisians who were subjected to the worst forms of violence and torture.

More than 3,000 Tunisians were tried, many of whom received harsh sentences of execution and hard labour.

The French forces imposed a curfew, and tanks took to the streets to spread terror in the hearts of Tunisians, who were not deterred by this from continuing their resistance. With the extension of the popular movement, the French occupation forces carried out the most heinous human massacres in several Tunisian cities and demolished hundreds of homes.

At that time, the Tunisians provided the necessary support to the Falaqa revolutionaries, who in turn took refuge in the mountains, to fight the occupier. And they provided them with supplies and smuggled weapons to them through animals and camels.

At that time, Al-Falaqah fought many armed battles, in which the French military forces suffered many painful defeats in separate areas of the country, despite their use of a small number of bullets and some primitive guns.

For its part, the Tunisian General Labor Union carried out widespread strikes, and demonstrations and protests continued in the country.

This lasted for several years, during which France practiced its most heinous human crimes, and received support from the extremist groups of the centenarians who embraced the Red Hand gang, which carried out many assassinations, the most prominent of which was the assassination of Farhat Hached.

Until the last battles of the national struggle ended, with the declaration of independence from French colonialism on March 20, 1956.