"
The establishment of the Turkish national movementThe Turkish National Movement encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries which resulted in the creation and shaping of the Republic of Turkey, a consequence of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I.Turkish revolutionaries...
" explains the creation of the
Grand National Assembly of TurkeyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
. The establishment of an alliance of
Turkish revolutionaries during the
partitioning of the Ottoman EmpireThe Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations....
resulted in the declaration of the Republic of Turkey and abolishment of the Ottoman sultanate. The movement declared that the only source of governance for the
Turkish peopleThe Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
would be the Grand National Assembly.
The movement was created through a series of agreements and conferences throughout
AnatoliaAnatolia is a geographic region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Iranian plateau to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west...
and
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
.
"
The establishment of the Turkish national movementThe Turkish National Movement encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries which resulted in the creation and shaping of the Republic of Turkey, a consequence of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I.Turkish revolutionaries...
" explains the creation of the
Grand National Assembly of TurkeyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
. The establishment of an alliance of
Turkish revolutionaries during the
partitioning of the Ottoman EmpireThe Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations....
resulted in the declaration of the Republic of Turkey and abolishment of the Ottoman sultanate. The movement declared that the only source of governance for the
Turkish peopleThe Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
would be the Grand National Assembly.
The movement was created through a series of agreements and conferences throughout
AnatoliaAnatolia is a geographic region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Iranian plateau to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west...
and
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
. The process was aimed to unite independent movements around the country to build a common voice. The whole process is attributed to Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), as he was the primary spokesperson and public figure.
Amasya Agreement, June 1919
The Amasya Agreement was important in many respects. It was the first call to the national movement against the occupying powers. It consisted of talks about national independence, based on provinces, not race. Even in this declaration we saw the roots of what constitutes the "Turk" as a political term, there was no distinction or reference to race or religion.
The message read as follows:
- The unity of the motherland and national independence are in danger.
- The Istanbul government is unable to carry out its responsibilities.
- It is only through the nation's effort and determination that national independence will be won.
- It is necessary to establish a national committee, free from all external influences and control, that will review the national situation and make known to the world the peoples desires for justice.
- It has been decided to hold immediately a National Congress in Sivas, the most secure place in Anatolia.
- Three representatives from each province should be sent immediately to the Sivas Congress.
- To be prepared for every eventuality, this subject should be kept a national secret.
- There will be a congress for the Eastern Provinces on July 10. The delegation from the Erzurum Congress will depart to join to the general meeting in Sivas.
This agreement was signed by Mustafa Kemal, Rauf Orbay, Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Refet Bele and later
Kazım KarabekirMusa Kâzım Karabekir was a Turkish general and politician. He was commander of the Eastern Army in the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I and served as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey before his death.-Early years:Kâzım was born 1882 as son of an Ottoman General Mehmet Emin...
in Erzurum.
Erzurum Congress, August 1919
On American Mandate: On 1 August 1919, the King-Crane Commission tried to contact a large groups of interested parties in Istanbul (Ottoman Control), to obtain their positions with a view toward reporting them to the Paris Peace Conference.
Kazım KarabekirMusa Kâzım Karabekir was a Turkish general and politician. He was commander of the Eastern Army in the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I and served as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey before his death.-Early years:Kâzım was born 1882 as son of an Ottoman General Mehmet Emin...
learned that a memorandum was adopted by an amalgamation of political groups in Istanbul and consequently, the Erzurum Congress, which has been in session since 23 July (until 7 August 1919) sent a memorandum to President Wilson on the same day (1 August). It was probably also meant to remind all other parties of
Wilson's 14 PointsThe Fourteen Points was a speech delivered by United States President Woodrow Wilson to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918. The address was intended to assure the country that the Great War was being fought for a moral cause and for postwar peace in Europe...
and the fact that the Nationalists were aware of them. Among the objectives of the Nationalists was, it appears, to signal the resolve of the Nationalists to the interested parties, and display their intent not to tolerate indiscriminate political pressure. What began as a suggestion to the Nationalists to accept the American Mandate at the time of the Erzurum Congress, became a major campaign immediately afterwards. By the time Sivas Congress was convened, no less than three channels were working on the Nationalist leadership to persuade them at least to "consider" the American Mandate, if not outright adopt a resolution in favor of it at the Sivas Congress.
Sivas Congress, September 1919
The Sivas Congress was the first time the fourteen leaders of the movement united under a single roof. These people spend and formed a plan between 16 to 29 October. They agreed that the parliament should meet in Istanbul, even if it were obvious that this parliament could not function under the occupation. It was a great chance to build the base and legitimacy. They decided on formalizing a "Representative Committee" that would handle the distribution and implementation, which could easily be turned into a new government if allies decide to disband whole Ottoman Governing structure. Mustafa Kemal established two concepts into this programme: independence and integrity. Mustafa Kemal was setting the stage for conditions which would legitimize this organization and illegitimate the Ottoman parliament. These conditions were also mentioned in Wilsonian rules.
Mustafa Kemal opened the National Congress at Sivas, with delegates from the entire nation taking part. The Erzurum resolutions were transformed into a national appeal, and the name of the organization changed to the Society to Defend the Rights and Interests of the Provinces of Anatolia and Rumeli. The Erzurum resolutions were reaffirmed with minor additions, these included new clauses such as article 3 which states that the formation of an independent Greece on the Aydın, Manisa, and Bahikesir fronts was unacceptable. The Sivas Congress essentially reinforced the stance taken at the Erzurum Congress. All these were performed while the Harbord Commission arrived in Istanbul.
Amasya Protocole, October 1919
Grand National Assembly, November 1919
Plans were made to organize a new government and parliament in Ankara, and then sultan asked to accept its authority. A flood of supporters moved to Ankara just ahead of the Allied dragnets. Included among them were Halide Edip, her husband,
Adnan AdıvarAbdülhak Adnan Adıvar was a Turkish politician, writer, historian, and by profession a medical doctor. He has done original research and written on history of science...
,
İsmet İnönüMustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of the Republic of Turkey...
, Kemal’s most important allies in the Ministry of War, and the last president of the Chamber of Deputies, Celaleddin Arif. The latter's desertion of the capital was of great significance. A legally elected president of the last representative Ottoman Parliament, he claimed that it had been dissolved illegally, in violation of the Constitution, enabled Kemal to assume full governmental powers for the Ankara regime.
On March 1920, he announced that the Turkish nation was establishing its own Parliament in Ankara under the name
Grand National AssemblyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
. Some 100 members of the Ottoman Parliament were able to escape the Allied roundup and joined 190 deputies elected around the country by the national resistance group. On April 23, 1920, the new Assembly gathered for the first time, making Mustafe Kemal its first president and Ismet Inonü, now deputy from
EdirneEdirne is a city in Thrace, the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, when Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne Province in...
, chief of the General Staff.