The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for “its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Tunisian Revolution of 2011”.
The protests inspired similar actions throughout the Arab world, in a chain reaction which became known as the Arab Spring movement.
The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance that included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
The protests were sparked by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi on 17 December 2010. They led to the ousting of Ben Ali on 14 January 2011, when he officially resigned after fleeing to Saudi Arabia, ending his 23 years in power. Labor unions were an integral part of the protests.