South Marmara and the Emergence of the Kuvâ-yı Milliye(National Forces) Movement in the Region After The Armistice of Mondros

World War I ended for the Ottoman Empire with the Armistice of Mondros (30 October 1918). Thus, it was hoped that the state of war would end and a lasting peace would be achieved. However, contrary to the expectations of the Istanbul Government, this armistice agreement, instead of ending the war and ensuring a lasting peace, facilitated the occupations of the Entente states in line with their ambitions. The states of Britain and France occupied the Ottoman lands, which they had shared with secret treaties during World War I, in accordance with the provisions of the Armistice. Greece, which joined the war on the side of the Entente states towards the end of the war, took action to occupy Western Anatolia in line with its Megali Idea goal. Venizelos, the leader of the Greek Government, who applied to Lloyd George immediately after the armistice, had this request accepted at the Paris Peace Conference and landed troops in Izmir on 15 May 1919. The occupation of Izmir by the Greeks was an event that triggered the National Struggle. With the announcement of the occupation, reactions emerged in various parts of the country. The region called South Marmara also showed its reaction against the occupation and organised rallies and congresses. Along with this, armed resistance was started. Ali Bey (Çetinkaya) in Ayvalık district of Balıkesir immediately mobilised his forces against the Greek advance. In Bursa, Bekir Sami Bey (Günsav) took the responsibility to lead the resistance. Similarly, various resistance organisations were established against the occupation in other cities of the Southern Marmara region. In this section, the developments in the South Marmara region following the Armistice of Mondros will be discussed.

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