Practice Flashcards
In what year did Ben Ali take power in Tunisia, and how?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All Flashcards in Topic 5.2
Below are all 36 flashcards for this topic. Sign up free to track your progress and get personalized review schedules.
5.2.112 cards
In what year did Ben Ali take power in Tunisia, and how?
1987 — he removed the elderly Habib Bourguiba from power in a bloodless takeover.
Name two forms of repression used by Ben Ali's regime.
Political imprisonment of critics/journalists, and control/censorship of the media (also surveillance and torture of detainees).
What was Ennahda?
A banned Islamist political party whose members were frequently jailed under Ben Ali.
What economic model did Tunisia follow from the 1990s, and what was the result?
Neoliberal reforms (privatisation, cutting subsidies) — growth looked good on paper but benefits were unevenly shared, leaving high youth unemployment.
Compare coastal Tunisia and inland Tunisia (like Sidi Bouzid) economically.
Coastal cities (Tunis, Sousse) received investment and tourism; inland towns like Sidi Bouzid were starved of jobs and services — regional inequality.
Who was Mohamed Bouazizi?
A 26-year-old street vendor in Sidi Bouzid whose self-immolation on 17 December 2010 triggered the Tunisian uprising.
What exactly happened to Bouazizi before he self-immolated?
A municipal official confiscated his fruit-and-vegetable cart and scales (he was selling without a permit); he was refused a hearing when he complained to the governor's office.
When did Bouazizi die of his injuries?
4 January 2011.
How did protest spread from Sidi Bouzid to the rest of Tunisia?
Mobile phone footage and social media (especially Facebook) carried the story nationwide within days, bypassing state censorship.
Distinguish the underlying causes of the Tunisian revolution from its trigger.
Underlying causes: repression/censorship and economic failure/unemployment (built up over years). Trigger: Bouazizi's self-immolation in December 2010, which ignited existing anger.
For Paper 1 Q1, what should you do with a source's content?
State a specific detail the source's content shows, then explain how that detail directly answers the inquiry question — not just summarise the source.
For Paper 1 Q2, what four things about a source's context should you consider?
Its origin, purpose, time and place — who made it, why, when, and where, and how that shapes its use as evidence.
5.2.212 cards
What is the December Revolution (also called the Jasmine Revolution)?
Weeks of mass street protest across Tunisia, sparked by Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation on 17 December 2010, that forced President Ben Ali to flee on 14 January 2011.
Who was Mohamed Bouazizi and why does he matter?
A street vendor in Sidi Bouzid who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010 after police harassment; his act sparked the protests that became the December Revolution.
When did Ben Ali flee Tunisia, and after how long as ruler?
14 January 2011, ending 23 years of authoritarian rule (in power since 1987).
What is Ennahda and who led it?
A moderate Islamist party led by Rachid Ghannouchi, banned under Ben Ali, that won the most seats in the October 2011 Constituent Assembly election.
What is Nidaa Tounes and who founded it?
A secularist, big-tent party founded in 2012 by Beji Caid Essebsi, uniting anti-Islamist voters; it defeated Ennahda in the 2014 elections.
Compare Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes.
Ennahda: moderate Islamist, previously banned, won 2011. Nidaa Tounes: secularist, drew ex-regime figures, won 2014. Both later formed a coalition government together.
How did social media challenge Ben Ali's authority?
Facebook and Twitter let activists organise protests and share videos of police violence, bypassing state-controlled newspapers, radio and TV.
Why shouldn't you say social media 'caused' the revolution?
Because unemployment, repression and Bouazizi's death were the underlying causes; social media was the tool that let already-angry Tunisians organise and spread the story quickly.
For Paper 1, what does Q1 test?
How the CONTENT of two sources can be used to answer the inquiry question. [6 marks]
For Paper 1, what does Q2 test?
How the CONTEXT (origin, purpose, time, place) of a source shapes how it can be used. [6 marks]
For Paper 1, what does Q3 test?
How the PERSPECTIVES across all the sources can be used to answer the inquiry question. [12 marks]
What crisis in 2013 deepened Tunisia's political divide?
The assassination of two secular politicians, which fuelled fears about Ennahda's Islamist government and helped fuel Nidaa Tounes's rise.
5.2.312 cards
When did Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali flee Tunisia?
14 January 2011 — he fled to Saudi Arabia after weeks of mass protests, ending 23 years of authoritarian rule.
When was Tunisia's new Constitution adopted, and what made it significant?
26 January 2014 — it created a semi-presidential republic, protected civil liberties, and enshrined gender equality, making Tunisia the only 'Arab Spring' state to build a lasting democratic constitution.
Define 'constituent assembly'.
An elected body given the specific job of writing a country's new constitution.
Name Tunisia's two largest political forces after 2011.
Ennahda (a moderate Islamist party) and Nidaa Tounes (a secular, anti-Islamist coalition) — their willingness to compromise helped the constitution pass.
What was the 'National Dialogue Quartet' and why does it matter?
Four Tunisian civil-society groups (trade union, employers' body, human-rights league, lawyers' order) that mediated between Ennahda and secular parties in 2013; won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for saving the transition from collapse.
What is 'youth radicalization' in the Tunisian context?
Young Tunisians, frustrated by continuing unemployment and limited opportunity after 2011, turning to extremist groups such as ISIS — Tunisia had one of the highest per-capita rates of foreign ISIS fighters in the world.
What major terrorist attacks hit Tunisia in 2015?
The Bardo National Museum attack (March, 22 dead) and the Sousse beach attack (June, 38 dead, mostly tourists) — both devastated the vital tourism industry.
Why did economic difficulties continue after 2011 despite political change?
Unemployment (especially among graduates) stayed high, regional inequality between the coast and interior persisted, and tourism/investment collapsed after the 2015 attacks — political freedom did not automatically fix the economy.
How did the 2014 Constitution address women's rights?
Article 21 guaranteed equal citizens' rights and freedoms; Article 46 committed the state to achieving gender parity in elected bodies — building on Tunisia's 1956 Code of Personal Status, already the most progressive in the Arab world.
Compare legal gains for Tunisian women with lived reality after 2011.
Legally: strong constitutional protections and rising political representation. In practice: unequal inheritance law remained, and gender-based violence and economic hardship still affected many women — showing formal rights and daily life are not the same thing.
For Paper 1 Q2 [6], what must an answer analyse about a source's context?
How the source's origin, purpose, time and place shape how reliable or useful it is for answering the inquiry question — not just describe the context, but explain its effect on the source's use.
For Paper 1 Q3 [12], what earns the top markband (10-12)?
Insightful understanding of the perspectives in ALL the sources, effectively examining their similarities and differences, with the argument well supported by specific source detail.
Topic 5.2 study notes
Full notes & explanations for Revolution in Tunisia (1989–2015)
History (2028+) exam skills
Paper structures, command terms & tips
Want smart review reminders?
Sign up free to track your progress. Our spaced repetition algorithm will tell you exactly which cards to review and when.
Start Free