Bartın During the National Struggle

With the French landing soldiers in Zonguldak, Bartın, a small province of the Western Black Sea in terms of population and surface measurement, has begun to have invasion concerns. With the increase in the number of French troops in Zonguldak, and the appearance of the French navy on the coast of Bartın, this concern intensified. The residents of Bartın did not take any steps to fight the French with the influence of the general belief that there is also a number of people and groups, especially the central government, in order to prevent things from getting worse. Mustafa Kemal Pasha's landing in Samsun, and the Amasya Circular that followed it, were the first steps in the establishment of the notion of the National Struggle in Bartın and its surroundings. The notion of the National Struggle expanded with the activity of the Science and Knowledge Association, which was created by young people from Bartın, and got stronger with the Bartın Countrywide Resistance Organization, which was founded at Mustafa Kemal Pasha's request. During this period, when the awareness of the National Struggle gradually increased, Bartın District Governor Durmuş Bey and Bartın representatives of the Freedom and Accord Party also made propaganda against the National Struggle. However, this situation came to an end with the arrival of Captain Cevat Rifat as the Commander of Bartın and its vicinity in Bartın on June 1, 1920. Then, the opposers of the National Struggle left the region, and the new district governor, Hüsnü Bey, unified the divided people on the road to national liberation with his work. Following this, Bartın met the demands of all Kuvâ-yı Milliye troops in the district and helped the military unit become uniform in a short period of time by assisting Captain Cevat Rıfat. This situation paved the way for Captain Cevat Rıfat to fight against the rebellions against the Kuvâ-yı Milliye and the French, who occupied Zonguldak and took steps to expand the occupation area. Bartın's other contributions to the National Struggle included ensuring the security of the Istanbul-Inebolu road route, serving as a port where ships carrying weapons to the front could find refuge in an emergency, and providing financial aid.

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