Republic is a form of government in which the people elect their rulers. A republic prioritizes the will of all individuals living in that country, not just one person. A republic minimizes the exploitation of the people and the maverick behavior of the government. One hundred years ago, a new state was established here in Anatolia. The name of this state was the “Republic of Turkey”. This state was established thanks to the heroic Turkish people who united with the philosophy of “Either independence or death!” and made a great effort for liberation when the Ottoman Empire, which had been in this geography for centuries, was occupied.
In its last years, the Ottoman Empire had become a cheap marketplace for foreign states and was no different from a colony. The country had been at war for the last 10 years and was continuously losing territory. The government had become a servant of the imperialist states. While foreign states were getting richer and richer, the people of the Ottoman Empire, one of the most powerful countries of the centuries, were getting poorer and poorer. The Ottoman Empire had become the “Sick Man” of Europe. Turkish intellectuals, dissatisfied with this situation, realized that a solution was needed.
On August 10, 1918, the Ottoman Empire officially lost World War I, which it had entered together with the Central Powers, with the signing of the Treaty of Sevres. Immediately after the signing of the Treaty, the occupations began. The Greeks occupied Izmir and massacred the people living there, which fueled the War of Independence. The homeland was bleeding and it had to end.
On May 19, 1919, Mustafa Kemal landed in Samsun in his capacity as the 9th Army Inspector given to him by the Istanbul Government. Mustafa Kemal, as a patriotic officer, did not remain silent to the situation in which his country had fallen, and he went to Havza on May 25th, violating the duty given to him by the Istanbul Government. With the circular he issued in Havza, Mustafa Kemal laid the foundation for the war of liberation. While this circular, which was published throughout the country, was a beacon of hope for some, it did not attract the attention of others. After this circular, Mustafa Kemal reached more people over time; With the Amasya Circular, Erzurum Congress, and Sivas Congress, he attracted most of the people to his side, that is, to the side of liberation. After these congresses, the liberationists, who attracted the attention of foreign states and the Istanbul Government, met the need for a new government to organize and govern the country instead of the occupied Istanbul Government by establishing the “Ankara Government” in Ankara.
In time, the Ankara Government began to engage in hot conflicts with the occupying forces. The people were now organized and aware of the Ankara Government. No matter how much the Istanbul Government and the occupying forces tried to dissuade them, they did not give up and fought with great sacrifices and devotion. The Ankara Government succeeded on all fronts and saved the homeland. On July 24, 1923, with the signing of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, the glorious 4-year liberation struggle came to an end. Now all that was left to be resolved was who would govern the country and how.
Mustafa Kemal, with his years of successful management in the Ankara Government, was a person who could very well govern the new country to be established. Mustafa Kemal, who had a great share in the liberation of the homeland with his years of efforts, was also the parliamentary president of the Ankara Government. On the evening of October 28, 1923, he said to his colleagues: “Sirs! Tomorrow we will declare the Republic.” On October 29, 1923, the unanimous decision of the parliament was that the new form of government would be a “republic”.
The Republic was now the form of government of the new Turkish state. There was no more sultanate, the sovereignty was with the people, and it was the people who ruled the country. The people had been fighting for their liberation for a long time and were now free. The people had won their rights and freedom in spades. The Turkish people were now independent. The homeland is grateful to all the heroes and heroines of the liberation.