South Marmara During the Natıonal Struggle

Ottoman empire and its partners were defeated in the First World War, which started in 1914 and lasted for about four years. Although the alliance partners ended the state of war by signing an agreement one by one after the war, it is seen that the Ottoman Empire could not achieve this. The reason for this is that the ambitions of the Entente states on Turkish lands have not ended. The Ottoman Empire was unjustly occupied by the Entente armies based on the provisions of the Armistice of Mondros (30 October 1918). Especially the occupation of Izmir by the Greeks revealed the feelings of the Turkish people and caused them to take action. The armed resistance of the Kuvâ-yı Milliye troops continued the reactions shown with protests and rallies to the occupations all over the country. One of the places where these resistance movements took place is the region called South Marmara. The geography defined as the Southern Marmara region, includes the cities of Bursa, Kocaeli, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Bilecik and Yalova according to today's administrative division. When we look at the demographic structure of the region, it is seen that the region has a dense Turkish population as a result of the migrations experienced with the defeats of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans in recent years. While the Turkish population in the region made a living from agriculture, the non-Muslim population mainly made a living from trade and crafts. It is a region of high strategic importance due to its geographical location. Especially its proximity to the straits explains the desire of the Entente states to hold the region. The British, who occupied Istanbul, attached importance to the region being under their control. Similarly, the National Struggle movement wanted to dominate the region due to its demographic structure, economic and strategic importance. In this section, the aforementioned importance and characteristics of the region called South Marmara are explained.

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