The ways the Tarsus Newspaper Presented the Occupation on the Threshold of the National Struggle

Tarsus, one of the oldest cities in Anatolia, has become a center for trade and agriculture due to its continuous development throughout history. Its geographical and spiritual characteristics have made it a site of struggle for various states throughout time. The fact that it was one of the first places occupied by the Allied Powers during the Armistice period further demonstrates this situation. The year 1919 marked the transition period between the World War I and the Turkish War of Independence Periods. As World War I also affected the civilian population, it led to social and psychological destruction, hunger, and poverty. As Tarsus became a natural border with Syria, it quickly became a city where people who migrated to Anatolia due to security concerns sought shelter, and negative effects could be directly observed. The French, with their attempts to transform Tarsus into a colony and leave a dependent state when they left the region, divided the ethnic groups in Mersin and Tarsus and tried to impose their own culture and also implemented the Armenian Policy. Through decrees, they interfered in Turkish production and trade and obtained resources for themselves. Such practices made life difficult for Turks; especially after the congresses held to organize the National Struggle, censorship and dismissal decisions were taken to keep Turks away from the administration, commercial life and daily life. The historical data on the daily life of Tarsus in 1919 were obtained from the Tarsus newspaper. The focus of the study is the social, economic, and political practices in Tarsus during the French settlement process in the region.

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