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 . 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
2015 Nobel Peace Prize
2015 Nobel Peace Prize
Tunisian Revolution