Importance of the erzurum congress in the national struggle

The Ottoman Empire withdrew from the First World War after the Armistice of Mudros signed on October 30, 1918. The signing of the Armistice of Mudros initially caused a positive atmosphere throughout the country. Because the 12th article of the declaration, called the Wilson Principles, published by the US president during the war, stated that the Turks and the inhabited areas of the Ottoman Empire would be left to the Turks. British Prime Minister Lloyd George had made a speech that before the Ottoman Empire withdrew from the war, Istanbul and the Turkish-dominated regions would not be taken from the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, it was thought that the lands of Anatolia and Eastern Thrace, where Turkish and Muslim populations were indisputably in the majority, would not be occupied.

However, there were also those who were not so sure of this expectation. For example, after the armistice articles were revealed, the army commanders noticed that some of the articles contained statements that could lead to the destruction of the country and warned the government. However, the government did not take these warnings into account and quickly abolished the armies and began to demobilize the soldiers and call the army commanders to Istanbul. Shortly after this, the Ottoman lands, which had not yet been occupied, began to be occupied by the armies of the Entente States advancing in the direction of Thrace, the Straits, the Caucasus, Iraq and Syria.

This situation worried the people in the occupied and rumored areas. Because with the arrival of the invading armies, the Armenian and Greek minorities took action by forming armed gangs. When the war officially ended and a peace conference was held in Paris, these minorities immediately began to send representatives to Paris to declare the lands they wanted, and to claim that they were the majority in these regions with fabricated documents.

Thereupon, Turks and Muslims living in the occupied regions and close to these regions began to establish some organizations and to prepare documents indicating that most of the population of the regions they lived in was Turkish and Muslim. As a result, many societies emerged. The headquarters of most of these societies was Istanbul. The associations representing the occupied regions remained in Istanbul for a while, but the associations in the unoccupied regions started to open branches in their own regions as well.

One of these associations was the Vilayat-ı Şarkiye Müdafaa-i Hukuk-ı Milliye Cemiyeti (Oriental Vilayetleri Müdafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti). Some members of the Vilayat-ı Şarkiye Müdafaa-i Hukuk-ı Milliye Cemiyeti, which was established in Istanbul on December 4, 1918, established the Erzurum branch of the society on March 10, 1919. This branch would play a very important role in the National Struggle.

Kazım Karabekir, who was appointed to the 15th Corps in Erzurum at that time and held farewell talks in Istanbul, would also have a great influence on this. After his farewell meetings, Kazım Pasha, who set out from Istanbul on April 12, 1919 by ferry, arrived in Trabzon on April 19 and after making some meetings, he moved to Erzurum on April 30.

During his farewell visits before leaving Istanbul, Kazım Pasha also met with Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who was making plans for a liberation struggle. In this meeting, he told Mustafa Kemal Pasha that nothing could be done in Istanbul, that he had to move to Anatolia immediately, and that he had decided to work with the people in Erzurum for the liberation of the country. Thereupon, Mustafa Kemal Pasha; He replied that he agreed with him, that he was looking for ways to cross to Anatolia and that he would come to Anatolia soon.

As Mustafa Kemal Pasha told Kazım Pasha, he soon found a way to cross into Anatolia. He was appointed to the 9th Army Inspectorate, one of the newly established army inspectorates. The 3rd and 15th Corps were given to the 9th Army Inspectorate. In other words, Kazım Pasha would work under his command.

Kazım Pasha, who was on the road while Mustafa Kemal Pasha continued his preparations, arrived in Erzurum on May 3, 1919 and started to work in the manner he had told Mustafa Kemal Pasha in Istanbul. However, these efforts consisted of measures that did not foresee armed conflict, together with the Vilayat-ı Şarkiye Müdafaa-i Hukuk-ı Milliye Cemiyeti, so that the region would not be given to the Armenians. On the other hand, he was making a great effort to keep the 15th Corps as a deterrent in the future and not to hand over the weapons and ammunition that had to be delivered in accordance with the armistice to the British under various excuses.

Meanwhile, the day before Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who was preparing to go to Samsun by sea to start his duty as an army inspector, departed from Istanbul, that is, on May 15, 1919, the Greek army landed in Izmir and as soon as he set foot in the city, he made a great attack against the civilian population. The murder changed everything.

This occupation and massacre caused a great indignation in the whole country. New organizations began to be formed and protest rallies were held everywhere. The rallies in Istanbul were the most important in terms of the number of attendees and their impact. For example, 23 May 200 000 people attended the Sultanahmet rally held in Istanbul.

Before the occupation of Izmir, the country was generally divided between three ideas. Those in the first group hoped that if a powerful state was mandated or protected, the lands that were not occupied during the war would be ceded to the Ottoman Empire, and that even the occupied territories could be returned to the 1914 borders by giving autonomy.

They were divided into those who defended the protectorate of England, France or Italy. Some, who thought that these states were imperialist states and that they could not be trusted, founded the Wilson Principles Society and advocated the US mandate or patronage.

The second group, including Mustafa Kemal Pasha, thought that the conditions had changed after the Armistice, the Entente Powers were weakened both economically and militarily, the soldiers were demobilized, these countries could not start a new war, therefore the country could be saved by resisting these states.

There were two different views among this group. According to Kazım Pasha, the representative of the first view, a movement should be started in the eastern regions that the Entente Powers could not reach, and this movement should spread to the whole country over time. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the representative of the other view, thought that the movement should be started at the same time throughout the country. Because, piecemeal attempts could be destroyed piecemeal.

The third group consisted of those who sought local remedies. These were represented by societies established in different parts of the country. These local societies were divided into two subgroups. Those in the first subgroup were trying to ensure that their regions remained attached to the Ottoman Empire. Those in the second subgroup thought that they would not be allowed to remain attached to the Ottoman Empire, and thought of establishing an independent republic in their own region.

The occupation of Izmir by the Greeks changed the minds of many members of these groups. Thus, the view that liberation was not possible without an armed resistance began to gain weight. But although the ideas changed, the actions continued in the same way for a while. Because a strong leader was needed to take action. This much-needed leader had departed from Istanbul, but few knew yet what he was planning to do.

As soon as Mustafa Kemal Pasha landed in Samsun, he started to determine the situation and prepare plans for salvation. In this context, in a telegram he sent to his corps on May 29, 1919, he expressed his first ideas on how the country should be defended. According to this, it was envisaged that no invading forces would pass from the mountain ranges in the north and south of Anatolia to the inner parts, that a safe zone would be created in the interior of these mountain ranges rising like a fortress wall, and that the corps would be organized to defend this safe zone with the support of the people.

After this order; Contacting the people, the army, local societies and civil administrators, Mustafa Kemal Pasha called for the establishment of new societies and protest rallies everywhere to mobilize the people. In order to get away from the area under the control of the British, he first went to Havza and then to Amasya. The government recalled him on these activities, but instead of returning, he accelerated his activities. Meanwhile, Rauf Bey, who had left Istanbul and came to Ankara, came to Amasya with Ali Fuat Pasha on 19 June 1919.

With the participation of these persons, Kazım Pasha and Cemal Pasha from Mersin, who was in Konya, by telegraph, negotiations began on the evening of 19/20 June 1919, based on a draft prepared by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. The decisions taken as a result of these meetings were signed by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Ali Fuat Pasha, Rauf Bey and Refet Bey on the evening of 21 June. Kazım Pasha also approved the decisions by telegram, but according to these decisions, he wanted Mustafa Kemal Pasha to come to Erzurum before the congress to be held in Sivas and to attend the congress to be held in Erzurum soon. This request was accepted.

After that, these decisions, known as the Amasya Circular, were announced on 22 June. Thus, the de facto start of the National Struggle was declared. In these resolutions, it was stated that the integrity of the homeland and the independence of the nation were in danger, that the Istanbul government could not do its duty, that this made the nation seem like it had disappeared, that the independence of the nation would be saved with the determination and decision of the nation, and that a congress would be convened in Sivas for this purpose.

After that, Mustafa Kemal Pasha left Amasya on 26 June 1919 to attend the Erzurum Congress with Rauf Bey and his delegation. He immediately started working in Erzurum, where he arrived on 3 July. When enough delegates were gathered, the Erzurum Congress was opened with the speech of Mustafa Kemal Pasha on 23 July 1919.

After the negotiations that continued until 7 August 1919, the Congress took very important decisions that would form the basic principles of the National Struggle. These decisions are included in the Amasya Circular.

was putting the stated principles into a program. Although the congress was a regional congress, the decisions it took concerned the whole country.

The main target determined according to the decisions taken, namely the national target; The integrity of the Ottoman homeland, the independence of the nation, the protection of the Sultanate and Caliphate. The struggle for the realization of the national goal would be carried out by the Kuvâ-yı Milliye (national forces). These statements also revealed the general strategy of the National Struggle. In other words, one of the basic elements of the strategy; what would be achieved, who would obtain it, and how it would be obtained.

In addition, the basic principles of military strategy were determined with the decisions taken. Because the seizure and protection of the borders at the time the armistice was signed was presented as a military objective. While doing this, it was stated that it would be put on a total defense against all kinds of invasion and intervention and would be resisted. Thus, it was stated that the forces to be used to seize the military target were national forces, and the method to be applied was total defense. Thus, in terms of military strategy, it was determined what to achieve, who would acquire it, and how.

For this reason, it is possible to say that the Erzurum Congress laid the foundations of the National Struggle with its decisions. But since the congress was a local congress, the decisions taken had to be attributed to the whole country. For this reason, the Sivas Congress was held between 4-11 September with the participation of the delegates representing the whole country. At the congress, the decisions of the Erzurum Congress were corrected to cover the whole country and were accepted as they were.

For this reason, it is possible to say that the Erzurum Congress was one of the most important events of the National Struggle, perhaps the most important. I wish God's mercy and express my gratitude to everyone, especially Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who participated in this congress held 102 years ago and laid the foundations of the National Struggle with the decisions they took.