When the dynasty of beys drove Tunisia, a province of the Ottoman Empire, to bankruptcy in the nineteenth century France, Britain, and Italy were put in control of the country. However, ultimately it was France that ruled the territory. The French practiced indirect rule over Tunisia. More specifically, Tunisia was a protectorate of France meaning that the local rulers of Tunisia were kept in place but they had to follow the directions of France. Tunisia officially became a French protectorate on May 12, 1881 with the signing of the Treaty of Bardo. While the treaty did not completely overturn the political structure because the government and rulers remained the same the French did have some affect overall. For example, under the treaty Tunisia would undergo French military occupation. In addition, the French would take over decisions regarding finance and foreign relations. Also, the French repressed the beys when they attempted to take more control of their …show more content…
For example, no land was taken away, religions were unaffected, and languages were kept the same. However, the French did have some impact on the country in other ways. One being that there was an increase in French individuals residing in Tunisia. With a greater French presence there was an increase in Roman Catholic authority. In particular, Tunisia’s education system was greatly affected by the French who pushed for a less religion-based education. Another aspect of Tunisia that the French impacted was their economy. As previously stated, in an attempt to westernize or modernize the country the dynasty of beys landed Tunisia in a state of bankruptcy. However, the influence of the French strengthened Tunisia’s financial status substantially. Overall, the French influence on Tunisia was not detrimental and did have positive effects, however, the protectorate, later caused many problems for the people of