Tunisians were really fed up with the authoritarian regime.
Tunisia did not experience more than two presidents for more than half a century. Both of those presidents have been forced to leave office – the first, President Habib Bourguiba, following a coup hatched by his successor, and the second under the conditions that you probably already know. In January 2O11, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali cowardly fled the wrath of the youth; the youth who challenged his oppressive forces, his minions, and the omnipotence of his party-state.
Before January 2011, Tunisia witnessed different revolutionary social movements,but they did not succeed for different reasons. Under the regime of Ben Ali, the Tunisian country became a kind of royal dynasty, ruled by Ben Ali and his parents, his wife’s family and other people close to him. They were really corrupt and the situation was worsening.
Moreover, Tunisians were really leaving under a really oppressive dictatorship. No one could express himself or herself freely. You could be jailed, tortured, or even killed for a dissident opinion. There were several violations of human rights. People could not bear the situation anymore. The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouaziz – a street vendor who set himself on fire in response to harassment by authorities, in December 2010 – was the straw that broke the camel's back.