Happy 29 October Republic Day! This year, we are preparing to celebrate a big anniversary of the Republic of Turkey’s 100th anniversary. This special day, which has been celebrated with enthusiasm all over the country since the date of the proclamation of the Republic, was implemented as a result of a proposal submitted and accepted by the great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
On October 29, 1923, after the successful conclusion of Turkey’s struggle for independence, the Republic was declared. This date symbolizes the beginning of the period when a modern republic was established in place of the Ottoman Empire. Republic declarationIt was the beginning of an important transformation in Turkey’s social, cultural and political aspects.
Republic DayIt is the symbol of the Turkish nation’s struggle for independence and national sovereignty. It is celebrated with enthusiasm throughout Türkiye every year on October 29. It will be a day full of activities such as special events, shows, concerts and holiday parades. Additionally, on this special day, flags are waved and the values of the Republic and the story of its declaration are told to the public.
What Happened Before the Proclamation of the Republic
The Ottoman Empire was fully established until 1876. absolute monarchy It was managed by. Throughout this period, the sultanate maintained absolute sovereignty over the people. However The Tanzimat period Although the idea of a republic began to come to the fore with the 19th century, Ottoman intellectuals saw the declaration of the constitutional monarchy as a sufficient step and did not demand further reforms. Between 1876-1878 and 1908-1918 Ottoman Empirewas governed by a constitutional monarchy.
When the national struggle led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha began in the period that ended with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, it was clearly declared that the will of the people would now dominate the administration. This change Erzurum CongressIt started with a declaration published on July 23, 1919. Article 3 of the declaration, “It is essential to make the National Forces effective and the national will dominant” He clearly stated his principle.
In order to embody the national will, when Istanbul was occupied and Parliamentary Assembly When it was disbanded, it was held in Ankara on April 23, 1920.Grand National AssemblyIt was collected under the name “. This parliament of 390 people had extraordinary powers, and the speaker of the parliament also served as the head of government and head of state.
The Parliament adopted the following on January 20, 1921:Basic Organization LawHe declared that sovereignty belongs to the Turkish nation with the law named “. Additionally, the parliament abolished the sultanate on 1 November 1922 It put an end to the sultanate government’s view of itself as the representative of the Turkish nation.
After the first parliament was dissolved on April 1, 1923, preparations for a new constitutional draft began. The purpose of this bill was to clarify the form of government and capital of the state. As a result of the negotiations held under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, preparations began for the declaration of the Republic.
With a law passed on October 13, 1923, Ankara was declared the capital of the state, which was an important step for the proclamation of the Republic. Mustafa Kemal’s open use of the word republic in a statement on September 22, 1923 had a great impact both at home and abroad. This period, An important period in which the foundations of the Republic of Türkiye were laid. It went down in history as.
What Happened During the Proclamation of the Republic
With the abolition of the sultanate on November 1, 1922, the parliamentary government system began to be implemented in the country. In this system, each minister was elected by the parliament, which occasionally led to meetings with incompatible ministers and long debates over ministerial elections. This situation caused the government to be weak and unstable.
government weaknessIt became clearly evident on October 23, 1923. Fethi Bey, the Chairman of the Board of Executive Deputies, was also serving as the Deputy of Internal Affairs and wanted to leave the Deputy of Internal Affairs to Ferit Tek Bey. However, the parliament did not accept this change and elected Erzincan deputy Sabit Bey instead. Likewise, the second speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Ali Fuat Bey, wanted to resign and nominated Yusuf Kemal Bey instead, but the parliament did not accept this change and elected Rauf Bey.
Following these developments, Mustafa Kemal The government gathered in Çankaya on the evening of October 25, 1923. At the meeting, it was decided to resign the Board of Deputies and elect a new Board of Deputies. This started a government crisis that would lead the country to the proclamation of the Republican regime.
Following the resignation of the Board of Deputies on 27 October 1923 Turkish Grand National AssemblyAfter its announcement in , a new Board of Deputies Work has begun to create it. However, the opposition failed to form a new government. Dinner held at Çankaya Mansion on 28 OctoberAmong Mustafa Kemal Pasha, İsmet Pasha and other participants The proclamation of the republic Preparations have begun for
The People’s Party Group, gathered in the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the morning of October 29, 1923, started negotiations on the cabinet change, but did not get any results. Thereupon, Mustafa Kemal Pasha was appointed and presented the proposal for the declaration of the Republic in the Turkish Grand National Assembly to solve the government crisis. The proposal was accepted by the parliament and then the presidential election was held. Gazi Mustafa Kemal, unanimously of 158 members president chosen. These events The Republic of Türkiye was officially declared historyHe pointed out.
Narrated in the Speech; Dinner at Çankaya Mansion on 28 October
Mustafa Kemal Pasha explained what happened at the dinner, where İsmet Pasha, Ali Fuat Pasha, Halit Pasha, Kemalettin Sami Bey also attended, as follows in his Speech:
“It was night… While I was leaving the Parliament building to go to Çankaya, I came across Kemalettin Sami and Halit Pasha waiting for me in the corridors. When Ali Fuat Pasha was leaving Ankara, I read that they came to Ankara under the title ‘A Farewell and a Welcoming’ in that day’s newspaper. I haven’t met them yet. When I realized that they were waiting there until late to talk to me, I informed them, through the Minister of National Defense Kazim Pasha, that they should come for dinner. I told İsmet Pasha, Kazım Pasha and Fethi Bey to come to Çankaya with me.
When I went to Çankaya, I met Rize Deputy Fuat and Afyonkarahisar Deputy Ruşen Eşref Bey, who came to see me. I kept them for dinner too. during meal ‘We will declare a Republic tomorrow’ I said. The friends who were there immediately agreed with my opinion. We left the food. From that moment on, I assigned my friends to make a short program on how to act. You will see the implementation of the program I made and the instructions I gave.
Gentlemen, you see that I have never seen the need or need to invite all my friends in Ankara to meet and discuss with them to decide on the declaration of the Republic. Because I had no doubt that they actually and naturally thought the same way as I did. However, some people who were not in Ankara at that time considered the fact that the Republic was declared without their knowledge and without their opinions and consent, even though they had no authority, as a reason to be offended by us and to leave us.”
That night, Mustafa Kemal Pasha prepared the bill with İsmet Pasha that changed some articles of the 1921 Constitution. “The form of government of the Turkish state is a republic.” After the speeches made in the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the bill containing the provision, the declaration of the Republic was accepted.
The management style of the new state was fully and clearly determined with the proclamation of the Republic. At this important turning point, “Sovereignty belongs to the nation unconditionally.” principle was accepted as the most basic principle of state administration.
Presidential elections were held and Gazi Mustafa Kemal PashaThe new Turkish state was established by receiving the votes of all 158 deputies in the secret ballot. first president was chosen as. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, in his speech after his election, said, “The Republic of Türkiye will be happy, successful and victorious.” He summarized this historical moment with his words.
In this way, any uncertainty regarding the name and regime of the state ended and a new era began in the history of the Turkish nation. The Republic of Turkey continued on its way as an independent, sovereign and democratic state. The declaration of the Republic is an important milestone in the process of the Turkish nation achieving national sovereignty and a modern state structure.
