The industrial revolution in Europe, the ever-growing need for raw materials, and the quest for markets for finished products were the stimulus for European colonialist expansion in Africa and Asia.

Tunisia, hemmed in by Algeria (since 1830 a French colony), and to the south-east by Libya (greedily eyed by Italy), was in the line of fire, there was no shortage of excuses for occupiers.

The weakness of the Beys, the intrigues of ministers such as Mustapha Khaznadar and Mustapha Ben Smail, the constant pressure by European councils, the bankruptcy of the state that was now a hostage in the hands of its creditors, despite the efforts of the patriotic, reformist Khereddine Pacha, all opened the doors of the country to foreign occupation on 12 May 1881, when at that date the Bardo Treaty was signed during the reign of Mohamed Sadok Bey. Two years later, the La Marsa Conventions, signed on 5 June 1883, voided the Bardo Treaty of its content and stripped the Bey of all authority. Then came direct administration, making Tunisians strangers in their own country.

Resistance to the occupier started in 1881 all around the country. Many Tunisians fell to the bullets of the occupation forces. It took the occupier over six months to assume some degree of control over the country. Although sporadic, the resistance was resilient and took various forms; in spring 1920, a political party, the Tunisian Constitutional Liberal Party, was set up to channel popular demands.