"Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft" -Winston Churchill

To understand the Tunisian revolution, one must first understand the history of Tunisia. The seeds of revolution are scattered long before the harvest.

Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the east as well as the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Tunisia has an area of 63,170 square miles (slightly larger than the state of West Virginia in the US and smaller than Syria) and a population of approximately 11 million according to the 2011 census in Tunisia.

The region of modern day Tunisia has an extensive history, starting with tribes from the Nile valley region in about 5000 BC. The region changed hands many times over years, and was controlled by the Numidians, the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Hafsids, and eventually the Ottomans.  Ottoman rule was loosely established in Tunisia until 1883, when the French invasion of Tunisia led to the Treaty of Bardo, making Tunisia a French protectorate. Tunisia was an integral part of the African campaign in World War II and was used by the Allies as a major base of operations. Tunisia eventually gained independence from France in 1956 in a movement led by Habib Bourguiba. Bourguiba became the first president of Tunisia.