By Mohamed Lotfi CHAIBI
The Complex Legacy of Salah Ben Youssef
As a nationalist leader, first as Secretary General of the Neo-Destour party and later as a rival to President Habib Bourguiba, Salah Ben Youssef played a pivotal role in Tunisia's national liberation movement and its path to independence.
Throughout his career, Ben Youssef was involved in several key events, including the repression of 1935, the confrontation of April 9, 1938, the failed attempt to negotiate internal autonomy in 1950-1951, and the independence crisis of 1955-1956. Despite being excluded from or marginalized by official history for a long time, Ben Youssef has regained a prominent place in the gallery of national heroes since Bourguiba's deposition in 1987.
Ben Youssef's historical significance is matched only by the controversy surrounding his actions before and during his accession to government in 1950 and his brief but intense period in opposition to the Tunisian government starting in 1955. His assassination on August 12, 1961, shortly after the Battle of Bizerte (July 19-22, 1961), has reignited debates about the impact of his political actions.
Understanding Youssefism and its Repression
M'Hamed Oualdi, a professor at Sciences Po Paris, has undertaken a comprehensive approach to a question that continues to be relevant in Tunisian public debates: the issue of Youssefism and its repression. By examining period documents, including the nationalist Tunisian press and French military and diplomatic archives, Oualdi sheds light on this complex topic through three chapters: I - The Man of "Discord"?, II - Youssefist Tunisia, and III - The Dissolution of the Youssefist Movement.
It is clear that the conflict between Bourguiba and Ben Youssef cannot be reduced to a simple duel between leaders. The crisis of independence in 1955-1956 was characterized by "the tearing apart of Tunisian society," with a societal schism involving the three constituent elements of politics: interests, ideas, and passions.
The rivalry between the two leaders was marked by the instrumentalization of various strategic options and political choices, including:
- Orient/Occident
- Conservatism/Liberalism
- Monarchy/Republic
- East/West/Non-Alignment
- Secularism/Theocracy
- Autocracy
These options were skillfully exploited in their discourses, reflecting the instability and acceleration of the decolonization movement and history.
A Nuanced Portrait of Two Leaders
It would be inaccurate to systematize the portraits of the two leaders as simply:
- A modernist Bourguiba opting for the West
- A conservative Ben Youssef, resolutely pan-Arab
Both leaders had their own supporters and effects on Tunisian society, which was disoriented and marked by 75 years of colonialism, including political subjugation, economic exploitation, and cultural penetration. Oualdi's analysis provides a nuanced and pertinent reconstruction of this complex period.
The Exclusion of Salah Ben Youssef
Ben Youssef did not attend the Neo-Destour congress in Sfax (November 15-19, 1955), where he was expected to defend his thesis of total independence within a Maghrebi framework. Instead, he cited logistical reasons for not attending, but in reality, he had realized that his rival, President Bourguiba, had finally secured the support of the UGTT (Tunisian General Labor Union) for the Political Bureau, against the Secretariat General. The Sfax congress thus confirmed the exclusion of Secretary General Salah Ben Youssef.
The President of the Neo-Destour party had won the first round of the political battle, thanks to the UGTT. The second round, related to the "resurrection of the fellagha movement" (December 1955-January 1956), which was resolutely Youssefist, particularly in southern Tunisia, was neutralized with the help of the French army.
Finally, it is worth noting that the tragic end of leader Salah Ben Youssef on August 12, 1961, in Frankfurt, is connected to the disastrous consequences of the confrontation between Bourguiba and General de Gaulle during the Battle of Bizerte.
