The Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Assistance to Needy Villagers who Migrated During the Greek Occupation and Returned to Their Homeland After the Great Attack
Kenan ÖzkanDue to the Greek occupation of Western Anatolia, the Turkish Muslim population, consisting mostly of farmers, had to abandon their lands, resulting in a transformation from a producing society to consuming one that required government support. Seeing the state of the region, the Turkish Grand National Assembly acted for the welfare of the people according to the populism principle. Through regulations, the government provided assistance to needy villagers as far as the financial situation allowed. Migrant villagers returning to their homelands after the Great Offensive (Büyük Taarruz/Dumlupınar Muharebesi in Turkish) received agricultural aid and equipment. The wealth of the peasant the “master of the nation” played an important role in creating a sense of citizenship and belonging to the state in the short term as well as for building a democracy on solid foundations in the long term. Furthermore, the fact that the aid was based on laws was essential to ensure that people saw such aid as a legal right rather than a gift.
Yunan İşgali Sırasında Göç Eden ve Büyük Taarruz Sonrasında Memleketlerine Dönen Muhtaç Köylülere TBMM’nin Yaptığı Yardımlar
Kenan ÖzkanYunan Ordusu’nun Batı Anadolu’yu işgali, büyük kesimi çiftçi olan TürkMüslüman nüfusun işgal nedeniyle evini ve toprağını terk etmesiyle ve neticede üretici konumdan tüketen ve hükûmetin desteğine ihtiyaç duyan bir konuma düşmesiyle sonuçlanmıştır. Ankara’da toplanarak ülke kaderine el koyan TBMM, “Halkçılık” ilkesi doğrultusunda, halkın refah ve saadetinin temini için hareket etmiştir. Yapılan düzenlemeler ile mali durumun izin verdiği ölçüde muhtaç köylüye yardım eli uzatılmıştır. Büyük Taarruz (Dumlupınar Muharebesi) sonrasında işgalden kurtarılan memleketlerine iade edilen göçmen köylülerin tarımsal üretime başlayabilmesi için ziraî yardım yapılmış ve tarım araç-gereçleri temin edilmiştir. “Milletin efendisi” olan köylünün refahının temini, zenginliğin geniş bir tabana yayılması, kısa vadede yurttaşlık ve devlete aidiyet hissinin oluşturulması açısından önemli olduğu gibi uzun vadede demokrasinin sağlam temeller üzerine inşası açısından da son derece önemlidir. İkinci olarak köylülere yapılan yardımların mecliste çıkartılan yasalara dayandırılması, bu yardımların bir “ihsan/bağış” değil de yasal bir hak olarak görülmesi açısından da önemlidir.
On May 15, 1919, the Greek army occupied İzmir, and the occupation eventually spread to Western Anatolia. The majority of the people living in Western Anatolia, a productive population engaged in agriculture, had to migrate with the occupation. With this migration, the previously productive inhabitants found themselves in the position of consumers and in need of government assistance.
Established in Ankara on April 23, 1920, the Grand National Parliament faced a major migration problem from the outset. This problem raised the issue of social assistance, and for the first time in Turkish history, an entire ministry was dedicated to this work. The May 2, 1920 law that established the government also included a provision for the creation of the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance. Another organization that extended a helping hand to the villagers who had left their land because of the occupation is the General Directorate of Immigration within the Ministry of Interior. The Grand National Parliament, which had adopted the idea of “populism” since its establishment and worked for the welfare and happiness of the people, provided important aid to the needy migrant villagers through these two organizations. The deputies of the occupied regions undersigned many important regulations along with law proposals that they submitted to the Grand National Parliament. Within the scope of the accepted laws, the government aimed to provide agricultural equipment, seeds, and edible food to the villagers and to help them become productive. It is noteworthy that the Grand National Parliament did not make a regional distinction in the form of east or west when assisting migrants and needy peasants. The refugees in the Eastern Province who had to leave their homes because of the Russian occupation but who experienced great deprivation after returning also benefited from the legal arrangements made for the needy refugees and peasants in Western Anatolia.
The work of the Grand National Parliament in this regard intensified after the Great Attack. The return of the refugees and peasants after the Greek army withdrew from the occupation areas emerged as an important issue. The Greek army caused great damage both during the occupation years and when leaving Western Anatolia. Repairing burned and destroyed households, extraditing refugees, and providing aid to the needy peasants were among the urgent problems the government had to face. However, while the migrants returned to their homes, important allocations from the budget for livestock, agricultural equipment, and seeds were made for villagers in need. However, as the treasury lacked the necessary resources for everyone, they could not distribute these allocations in full or had difficulty delivering them to those in need. In such cases, the government provided in-kind assistance to the needy. In addition to cereals in military warehouses distributed as seeds, surplus animals in the army’s possession were also distributed to the needy farmers. The crops and agricultural equipment belonging to the Greeks and Armenians who had left Anatolia with the Greek Army were also distributed to the Turkish Muslim farmers, thus preserving the national wealth.
Some scholars have emphasized that a close examination of the debates of the Grand National Parliament both during and after the occupation years as well as during the return of refugees to their homelands reveals that making needy peasants productive meant struggling for economic survival. That is, a strong economic structure was needed for the national welfare and the well-being of the people.
Historians have demonstrated that democracy only develops in a healthy manner in societies with high levels of welfare. In this respect, the government must strive to ensure the welfare of peasants, who constitute a large part of the population. To this end, the society as a whole has to equip them with the means to ensure their livelihoods and provide the infrastructure for the healthy development of democracy.
