The Importance of Erzurum Congress and National Stance of Kazım Karabekir Pasha

Erzurum, the cornerstone of the National Struggle

At the historic Erzurum Congress, where the Turkish nation showed its first reflex and determination in the struggle for existence, the path of the National Struggle was paved with the decision ‘The homeland within the national borders is an indivisible whole, it cannot be divided’, and a great progress was made.

It was decided to hold the Erzurum Congress for the protection and defence of the Eastern provinces against the Armenians. Because with the Armistice of Mondros, the Turkish Army was disbanded to a great extent, and the 15th Corps, which was located in the centre of Erzurum in the eastern region and had approximately six thousand soldiers, was left in our hands. Kazım Karabekir Pasha was appointed as the commander of this corps from Istanbul to Erzurum. Karabekir Pasha's crossing to Anatolia in April 1919 and taking over the 15th Corps in Erzurum was in fact an important starting point in the birth of the National Struggle movement and the New Turkish state in the east, in Erzurum.

The Erzurum Congress, which is accepted as one of the turning points of the National Struggle and where the foundations of liberation were laid under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has an important place in the history of the Republic of Turkey as it was the first congress where a collective struggle was decided for the unconditional realisation of national sovereignty. As it is known, Mustafa Kemal Pasha had set foot in Samsun on 19 May 1919 and issued the Havza and Amasya circulars. According to the Amasya Circular, it was decided to convene a National Congress in Sivas. K. Karabekir Pasha had expressed to Atatürk that it would be inconvenient to organise the Sivas Congress without taking the necessary precautions and invited him to observe the congress planned to be held in Erzurum on behalf of the Eastern provinces before Sivas. M. Kemal Pasha followed this invitation and arrived in Erzurum on 3 July 1919 with Rauf Orbay. When Atatürk and his entourage arrived in Erzurum, preparations for the Congress were underway. Meanwhile, when the Istanbul Government dismissed Mustafa Kemal, the 3rd Army Inspector, on the night of 8/9 July, Atatürk resigned from his military duty on the night of 8 July.

Kazım Karabekir: Pasha, I and my Corps are at your command!

In those days, K. Karabekir Pasha stood by Atatürk without hesitation. By visiting Atatürk and saying ‘Pasha, I and my corps are at your command!’, he clearly demonstrated a true patriotic stance and his loyalty to the leader of the National Struggle. In those days, under the pressure of the British, the Istanbul government had even ordered K. Karabekir Pasha to arrest Mustafa Kemal Pasha immediately and send him to Istanbul. At this point, the attitude of Karabekir Pasha was of historical importance. Kazım Karabekir Pasha wrote the following reply to the Istanbul government, giving a lesson in patriotism and at the same time challenging it: ‘Although I do not know what the decision and policy of your government is, I see that the actions of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and Rauf Bey, who are in Erzurum, are not in any way contrary to the interests of the homeland and the nation and the existing laws. There is no legal reason for the detention of a man like Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who is known for his honour, military service and patriotism in the country and who commanded half of the country just twenty days ago!’

He opposed the Istanbul Government and stood behind Mustafa Kemal, who was no longer a soldier, and Rauf Bey. Later, on 9 July, he helped Atatürk to be elected as the president of the Vilayet-i Şarkiye Müdafaa-i Hukuk-u Milliye Cemiyeti. This paved the way for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to attend the Erzurum Congress. As a result, Karabekir Pasha, with his full support for the start of the national struggle with great determination under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal from Erzurum, prevented Atatürk, the leader of the war of liberation, from being blocked at the beginning of the road.

With the decisions of the Erzurum Congress, which stated that‘the integrity of the homeland and the independence of the nation were in danger’, it was aimed to make the national will dominant and the Kuvayı nationaliye supreme. For this, a parliament had to be established. The congress was attended by 54 delegates, most of whom came from the five occupied eastern provinces of Trabzon, Erzurum, Sivas, Bitlis and Van; the decisions taken at the congress were decisive in the line followed in the liberation struggle. Atatürk was elected as the president of the congress on 23 July 1919.

Of the 54 delegates, 2 were Atatürk and Rauf Orbay, 17 were farmers-merchants, 6 were clergymen, 5 were retired officers, 5 were teachers, 5 were lawyers, 4 were retired civil servants, 4 were journalists, 3 were former deputies, 2 were engineers and 1 was a doctor. The Congress ended on 7 August 1919.

Although it was a regional congress, decisions concerning the whole country were taken. These decisions are also the manifesto of the Misakı Milli, the new Turkish state. When we analyse these decisions, we see that the following important results emerged.

1- In this congress, which was convened only to discuss the fate of Eastern Anatolia, decisions concerning the whole of the homeland were taken.

2- The main idea of the Erzurum Congress is unconditional independence and sovereignty of the nation.

3- At the Erzurum Congress, the draft of the Misakı Milli was created, thus the borders of the New Turkish Homeland were determined.

4- All national organisations in the east were united under the name of Eastern Anatolia Mudafai Hukuk Cemiyeti.

5- When the decisions taken are analysed well, the idea that a new Turkish State will be established emerges.

6- During the Erzurum Congress, a representation committee consisting of 9 people was formed and M. Kemal was appointed as the chairman and Rauf Orbay as his deputy.

The founding philosophy and the first step of the Republic of Turkey, on which we proudly live today, is actually the Erzurum Congress. When it comes to homeland, Erzurum is a city where the water stops flowing. Because all Erzurum residents are lovers of Turkey. Loving the homeland unconditionally is their indispensable passion.