The Reflection of the Opening of the Grand National Assembly in the İstikbal Newspaper in Trabzon
Engin Çağdaş Bulut, Hikmet ÖksüzThe new world order that emerged after the First World War put the future of the Ottoman Empire at risk. Following the Mondros Armistice Agreement, many regions of the country were occupied by the members of the Entente States. Local press in Trabzon was formed in the second half of the 19th century. During the period from the beginning of the National Struggle to the publication of Istikbal Newspaper, there were various newspapers published by non-Muslims in Trabzon as well as anti-National Struggle newspapers owned by Turkish people. İstikbal Newspaper, which was first published in 1918 by Faik Ahmet Barutçu, became influential in the region with its pro-National Independence publication policy. The newspaper objected to those who tried to show the establishment of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) as an act against the Ottoman administration. In this regard, the newspaper put forward legitimate reasons such as the occupation of Istanbul, the center of caliphate and reign, Ottoman administrators who were stripped of power to rule, and the dire need for the nation to be self-governing. Criticizing the wrong policies of the Damat Ferit Pasha Government, Istikbal Newspaper highlighted that the Turkish nation would not rebel against the caliph and the sultan. The newspaper that stated the formation of the new Assembly in Ankara was essential, also addressed the ceremonies to be performed on April 23, 1923. In addition to the articles describing religious sensitivities on the opening day of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, information was provided on the election of deputies to attend the Turkish Grand National Assembly as well. At a time when the press was gaining importance as a propaganda tool, İstikbal Newspaper contributed to the country’s unity and solidarity as well as to the success in the regional and national struggle through its publications.
TBMM’nin Açılışının Trabzon’da Çıkan İstikbal Gazetesine Yansımaları
Engin Çağdaş Bulut, Hikmet ÖksüzTrabzon’da yerel basın 19. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında oluşmaya başlamıştır. Millî Mücadele Dönemi’nin başından İstikbal Gazetesi’nin yayımlanmasına kadar geçen süreçte Trabzon’da çeşitli gayrimüslim gazetelerin yanı sıra sahibi Türk olan Milli Mücadele karşıtı gazeteler de vardı. 1918 yılında Faik Ahmet Barutçu’nun önderliğinde neşredilmeye başlanan İstikbal Gazetesi, Milli Mücadele taraftarı yayın politikasıyla bölgede etkili olmuştur. Gazete, Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi’nin (TBMM) kuruluşunu Osmanlı idaresi aleyhinde göstermeye çalışanlara karşı çıkmıştır. Bu doğrultuda gazete de hilafet ve saltanatın merkezi olan İstanbul’un işgal edilmesi, Osmanlı idarecilerinin hüküm veremez hale getirilmesi, bağımsızlığına düşkün olan milletin yeniden kendi kararlarını verebilmesi gerekçelerini ileri sürülmüştür. Damat Ferit Paşa Hükümeti’nin yanlış politikalarını da eleştiren İstikbal Gazetesi, Türk milletinin halife ve padişahına karşı isyan etmeyeceğini belirtmiştir. Ankara’da yeni bir meclisin teşekküllünün hem zorunluluk hem de ihtiyaç meselesi olduğuna değinen gazete, 23 Nisan 1923’deki merasimlere de yer ayırmıştır. TBMM’nin açılış günündeki dini hassasiyetleri anlatan yazıların yanı sıra TBMM’ye katılacak milletvekillerinin seçimi hakkında da bilgilendirmelerde bulunulmuştur. Basının propaganda aracı olarak önem kazandığı bir dönemde İstikbal Gazetesi, yaptığı yayınlarla birlik ve beraberliğin sağlanmasına, gerek bölge gerekse ülke çapında vatan uğruna gerçekleştirilen mücadelenin başarıya ulaşmasına katkı yapmıştır.
The new world order that emerged after the First World War put the future of the Ottoman Empire in jeopardy. Following the Mondros Armistice Agreement, many parts of the country were occupied by the members of the Entente States. In addition, allocating land to Armenians, Greeks and Kurds was also on the agenda. Although they had not officially occupied, the troops of the Entente States proceeded to Istanbul, the capital of the state, and the sultan and the government were under pressure. Under these circumstances, the liberation of the country did not seem possible. Local resistance organizations were established in many cities, and a struggle was initiated against both the occupation forces and the minorities’ harmful activities. The resistance evolved into an organized struggle with the arrival of Mustafa Kemal Pasha in Samsun. The center of the struggle was moved to Ankara with the dissolution of the Last Assembly (Meclis-i Mebusan) and the occupation of Istanbul. The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) was formed here. However, the formation of the Assembly received reactions from the Entente States and their supporters. With Damat Ferit Pasha becoming the head of the cabinet, the Grand Vizier and sheikhislam as well as the Sultan under pressure began working against the new Assembly. Fatwas were declared against the new Assembly to demonstrate that it was a rebellion against the Sultan. TGNA benefited from two means to consolidate its legitimacy: religion and the press. Religion was utilized by issuing fatwas against unfounded allegations. The press was used to communicate the situation of the country, the activities of the enemies, and the goals of the National Struggle to the public. The press functioned as a crucial tool to increase public participation in the National Struggle initiated with the purpose of rescuing the state from occupation and the reign and caliphate from capitivity, as well as to publicize the legitimacy of this struggle. İstikbal Newspaper, which was first published in Trabzon in 1918, was one of these tools with its publication policy supporting the National Struggle. Unlike the newspapers with an anti-National Struggle agenda and those belonging to minority groups in Trabzon, İstikbal Newspaper, directed by Faik Ahmet, aimed to support the National Struggle, explain the struggle for independence to the domestic and foreign communities, defend Turkishness, and reveal the plans of the enemies. The newspaper, which initially could not serve these purposes efficiently as it was published in a Greek printing house,later on gained the desired freedom when its printing house was established. The formation of the Turkish Grand National Assembly also became the subject of various news items in İstikbal Newspaper, which was published until 1925. Examining these news items shows that the creation of the TGNA was approached from four different perspectives. First of all, it dealt with the issue of why a new Assembly was needed. It was argued that the a new Assembly was essential because the occupation of Istanbul, centre of the Ottoman Empire, precluded legislative-executive-judicial activities; the Sultan who was also the caliph was in captivity, and the country’s independence was in danger. There was no article in the Constitution to constitute a legal basis for the new Assembly. For this reason, drawing on the constitutions of foreign states such as France, it was asserted that the Parliament could be opened at another place in the country during force majeure. İstikbal Newspaper which also drew attention to the elections for representatives in the parliament, listed the criteria sought in the deputies. According to these criteria, the deputies were supposed to be reliable and accommodationist, familiar with the public needs, and not be narrow-minded and manipulated. Finally, the Assembly's task was to save the caliph and the sultan, to prevent the occupation of the country, and to ensure that the occupied lands would be reannexed to the homeland. While İstikbal Newspaper continued its publishing activities in this direction, it also discussed the resignation of the pro-National Struggle government in Istanbul and the establishment of the Fourth Ferit Pasha cabinet, which was an advocate of the Entente States.
