Çorum During the National Struggle

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the World War I and its withdrawal from the war by signing the Armistice of Mondros, the Entente states occupied many regions of Anatolia. In the face of the occupation of Anatolian lands by the Entente states, the resistance movements that emerged in the form of Kuvâ-yı Milliye and Association for Defence of National Rights later turned into a total National Struggle movement. The transformation of the National Struggle movement into this form started with Mustafa Kemal Pasha's departure to Samsun and culminated in the liberation of the country's lands from occupation at the end of the Great Offensive. The success of the Turkish War of Independence was also registered with the Lausanne Peace Treaty. Even though Çorum was not occupied during the period of the National Struggle as it was during the First World War, it was in an important position in many respects. During the National Struggle period, the effects of Greek gangs were seen in Çorum, although they were not felt as much as in other cities in the region. One of the most important problems of Çorum was the security and public order problem created by local gangs. While these gangs everywhere turned into national resistance forces, this was not the case in Çorum. In addition, the tendency towards the Anatolian national movement in Çorum started later than other places, especially due to the pro-Istanbul Government administrators and the influence of the Freedom and Unionists. However, under any circumstances, the people of Çorum ignored such individuals and groups and took a stance in favor of the National Struggle. Mustafa Kemal Pasha's departure to Samsun and the decisions taken afterwards further clarified this attitude. The organization of Association for Defence of National Rights in Çorum was completed and a clear stance in favor of the Anatolian national movement was put forward. A representative from Çorum attended the Sivas Congress. Deputies from Çorum were elected and sent to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye opened in Ankara. The people of Çorum resisted the internal rebellions that emerged during the National Struggle and tried to affect their own cities, and they were always sensitive to military developments. With this feeling, they both contributed financially to the National Struggle and sent many congratulatory and congratulatory telegrams to the Assembly.

Click to cite.

Note: You can access the citation text via the ‘Actions’ tab in Crossref.