Atatürk, Chief Architect of the Republic of Turkey

The process that led to the end of the Ottoman Empire began when the Ottoman government, acting as a tool for Germany's provocation, raised the Turkish flag on two German armoured ships, Breslau and Goeben, renaming them Yavuz and Midilli, and on 29 October 1914, Russia bombed the ports of Odessa and Sevastopol. Although there was no need for it, he found himself in the midst of war.
As a result of the ‘Paris Peace Conference’ held on 18 January 1919, it was decided to dismantle the Ottoman Empire in order to force it to pay reparations. The parties failed to reach an agreement during the heated negotiations held for this purpose and decided to hold another meeting in Sevres.
On 30 October 1918, citing the seventh article of the Mondros Armistice Agreement signed between the Ottoman Empire, which was at war with the Entente Powers in Syria and Palestine at the time, and Britain, Britain sent military troops to ensure the safety of the Greek population in the Black Sea region and notified the Ottoman government of this in a note.
Unable to contain its hostility towards the Turks, Britain fabricated the lie that the Greek population in Izmir outnumbered the Turkish population, thereby encouraging Greece to invade Izmir, which was occupied on 15 May 1919.
 The Damat Ferit Pasha government surrendered to the occupation and took no administrative measures. In response, the Great Turkish Nation vehemently rejected this, immediately organised itself, and began to seek regional liberation measures. The General Staff and the command echelon saw the danger and took action.
 The task of investigating the clashes that had begun between the Turkish and Greek populations in Samsun and the surrounding provinces was assigned to Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK, the most capable and competent general among them, and he was appointed as the ninth army inspector to facilitate his passage to Anatolia. After meeting with the sultan six times, Atatürk obtained approval for the position of army inspector and departed for Samsun one day after the occupation of İzmir, arriving there on 19 May 1919.
Upon learning of Atatürk's departure for Samsun, the British ordered the occupation forces in Samsun to capture and arrest Atatürk. When the major who boarded the ship to capture Atatürk saw him, he was so intimidated by his determination and resolve that he could only say, ‘I am at your command, Commander.’ The major and his team were captured by the people who welcomed their great leader in Samsun and sent to Istanbul. After the war, this British major was tried by the British government for treason. In his defence at the court, he quoted British Prime Minister Lloyd George's words, ‘A genius comes once in a century, and in this century, the genius came to the Turks, and we were defeated,’ and was pardoned.
19 May marks the birthday of the independent Turkish Republic, which secured our national sovereignty. With Atatürk's arrival in Samsun, the War of Independence effectively began. The Allied Powers, unable to divide the Ottoman Empire at the Paris Conference, resumed their efforts and began preparing the Treaty of Sèvres. While the Damat Ferit Pasha government was preparing to sign the treaty, Atatürk sent a telegram to the Damat Ferit Pasha government warning him not to sign or accept the treaty.
Upon arriving in Samsun, Atatürk immediately took action for the liberation of Anatolia, issued the Amasya Circular, and established the idea of national sovereignty. The objectives, justifications, and methods of the Turkish War of Independence were defined. It was stated that the Istanbul government was unable to fulfil its duties, and the Turkish people were called upon to resist the occupations. With this call, the Istanbul government was officially declared null and void. Preparations for the Erzurum and Sivas congresses began.
On 9 July 1919, Atatürk resigned from his position in the army before the Erzurum Congress and took charge of the national struggle. The congresses held in Erzurum and Sivas, which received the support of the entire nation, laid out the methods for liberating the country from occupation and establishing the Republic of Turkey.
On 23 April 1920, the Turkish Grand National Assembly was convened, and the government was effectively taken over. It was declared that the decisions of the Ottoman Parliament would not be recognised. As a result of this foresight, the Treaty of Sèvres, signed by Damat Ferit on 10 August 1920, was not ratified by the Ottoman Parliament due to its being closed, and as a result of the vision and timing of the establishment of the Grand National Assembly, the plan to occupy and partition the Ottoman Empire was rendered invalid. The TBMM Government refused to recognise the Treaty, swore an oath on the National Pact, and vowed never to allow the division of Turkish lands.
ATATÜRK summarised the situation as follows: The Ottoman countries had been completely fragmented. Only Anatolia, the ancestral homeland of a handful of Turks, remained. The final struggle was nothing other than fighting against the fragmentation of Anatolia. The Ottoman State had been occupied, and its independence, the sultan, the caliph, and the government had all lost their meaning. So, what could be the firm and true decision?
There was only one decision in this situation. That was to establish a new Turkish state based on national sovereignty and complete independence. This was the decision we had already made before leaving Istanbul and began implementing as soon as we set foot on Anatolian soil in Samsun.
At this historic turning point, we pay our respects and express our gratitude to the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who did not lose hope in the noble Turkish nation and took action to establish the strong Republic of Turkey we have today, as well as to the hundreds of thousands of martyrs, veterans, and heroes who followed in his footsteps on this sacred path. May our 19 May National Sovereignty and Children's Day be blessed.