The Civil Society Aspect of Political Organization in the National Struggle: The Social Base of the Trabzon Society for the Protection of Law of Nationality (Trabzon Defense of Law Society)

Trabzon, which has been an important center for commercial activities throughout history, maintained this feature during the Ottoman Empire. As the state evolved into a bureaucratic structure and society modernized after the Tanzimat, the Muslim and non-Muslim gentry in Trabzon also took their place within this new structure. In terms of their roots, the Muslim-Turkish gentry mostly belonged to the ayan families, known as aghas in the region. The families of ayan origin, whose influence is still felt today, and other social groups within the Muslim-Turkish groups, who had gained economic power in various ways, formed a rising merchant class over time. While the extent to which this group competed with the non-Muslim or local bourgeoisie is beyond the scope of this study, the aforementioned caste made itself felt in the city from commerce to bureaucracy, from political activities to social and cultural life, and reached a level to lead the society, especially after the Second Constitutional Period. In this process, the notables of Trabzon, who were basically divided into two groups as supporters of the Committee of Union and Progress and the Freedom and Union Party, continued to be the pioneers of the Muslim groups upon their return after the end of the Russian occupation. After the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918, the people of Trabzon, who were struggling to heal the wounds of the years of occupation and emigration between 1916 and 1918, took action to form a national defense organization to fight against the possibility of re-invasion of their region and the danger of breaking away from the Ottoman Empire. This organization was led by Trabzon’s Muslim-Turkish bourgeoisie. The organizational efforts initiated by this group from the end of 1918, leaving aside the political strife, gained momentum due to the internal and external separatist activities carried out at the Paris Peace Conference for the establishment of a Pontus State and an Armenian State in the region, and culminated in the establishment of the Trabzon Society for the Protection of Law of Nationality (Trabzon Muhafaza-i Hukuk-ı Millîye Cemiyeti) in February 1919. The oppositional approach of the society, which led to the convening of the Erzurum Congress, reached a different dimension as of the beginning of 1922 with the accusations of Unionism and irregularities against the society. Between 1919 and 1923, the administrative level of Trabzon Society for the Protection of Law of Nationality (Trabzon Mudafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti) underwent remarkable changes within the framework of the existing political conditions. When we look at the characteristics of the founding or executive members of the Society between 1919 and 1923, it is seen that they belonged to the well-established families of the ayan, dynasty and notables of Trabzon; some of these members, some of whom were Unionists and some of whom were The Entente Liberale, were in a broad spectrum such as former MPs, civil administrators, jurists, intellectuals, clergymen and educators, especially the merchant segment. With these characteristics, the members of the administration, who were in a pioneering position in addressing the society, maintained this status both during the National Struggle and after the Proclamation of the Republic. In the following years, they showed themselves as pioneering figures who shaped the political and social-cultural life of Trabzon.

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