The 2023 J.U.C. Media, Research & Writing Awards | Submitted Category: WRITING/Türkiye100
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The 2023 J.U.C. Media, Research & Writing Awards
Submitted Category: WRITING/Türkiye100
Sub-Category: Dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkiye
Submission Code: W4/TR100
Student age: 17 | Grade: 11 | Word count: 1155

“National Struggle We Won By Telegraph Wires”

[The 2023 JUC Awards, LMGlobal.Org]
Think about it… A nation whose roots date back to the 10th century… A population that has adopted universal latitude and balance as a principle since time immemorial… An accumulation that has seen both the bottom and the top in its 100-year history… The combination of this and beyond is a 100-year-old democracy with ups and downs that has made Türkiye one of the world’s leading states. It is obvious that there is a solid foundation behind the 100th anniversary of this republic. It should not be overlooked that the republic, which was established with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of a completely new revolution, actually covered a very painful and long process. In order to best understand this process and these moves made at the right time, it is necessary to mention the most important factor behind them, the greatest founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

His interest and relevance to military and therefore politics, which started in 1893 with his military national rustic in the adventure of becoming a soldier, those bottom points of the Ottoman Empire in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, while he was at the Manastir Military School, will have triggered him for the republic’s establishment. In this way, his first anti-government activity in the historical sense took place. Nearly 13 years later, he went to Samsun with the historical Bandırma Ferry to save the country from the enemy and fight for its independence, which was perhaps the most crucial first step on the process of Türkiye becoming nowadays’ Türkiye. Despite the fact that the Greek unions of that time came to Izmir, Atatürk, who took action in this way, implemented the basin and Amasya circulars that followed this process in order to mobilize the people. Afterwards, he was elected as chairman by gathering people to the Erzurum and Sivas congresses. Then with the establishment of TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Türkiye) in 1920, he officially ended the already defunct authority of the Ottoman Competence.

Atatürk, who laid the foundation of a solid state, did not neglect to engage in activities that would instill hope in the Turkish public in this process. With the period of National Struggle that lasted for about one and a half year, the people showed a great resistance against imperialism and expelled the enemy from their homeland under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk against the occupation movements. This tradition has not changed throughout the century because our nation has never done anything for the homeland, it has never been difficult for Turks to shed blood for the homeland. With the Republic, a new light was born in Türkiye, and a white page was opened. The substructures of this page are Mustafa Kemal’s sovereignty, unconditionally and unconditionally. The foundations of the white page have already been laid with the phrase “The executive and legislative power has been gathered in the Turkish Grand National Assembly on behalf of the Turkish nation.” and efforts have been made for this for 2 years.

Although the innovations that came with the Republic were foreign to the Turkish people at first, the pride of ruling a state with their own will and feeling themselves valuable for the first time in a while, accelerated this process and they adopted this as if they were used to this administration for years. The most critical of these innovations may be the abolishment of Kanun-i Esasiye with a monarchical infrastructure in the Ottoman government in 1926, replacing it with the Law No. 742, giving women the right to vote and introducing the surname law in 1934. Especially other European countries that gave women the right to vote long after the Republic of Türkiye. For example, even Switzerland, which is now perceived as one of most civilized countries, gave female citizens the right to vote in 1974. This brings me to emphasize that millions of Turkish women are eternally grateful to Atatürk for the dramatic changes he brought about that allowed them to achieve equality as citizens and human beings. Not only adults but also children were very satisfied with these changes and developments in the country. 23 April, which we now celebrate as children’s day, was seen as the holiday of the whole nation when the republic was established. On the first anniversary of the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 23 April 1921, 23 April was declared a national holiday with the law numbered 112. Apart from the freedom it provides, we should not forget the 23 April Children’s Day dedicated to children and 19 May Youth and Sports Days dedicated to the Turkish youth.

Taking a look at the economical and industrial changes the nation went through then, heavy industry production increased by 152 percent between 1929 and 1938, and total industrial production increased by 80 percent, thanks to 46 factories, starting from the “Ankara Cartridge Factory” in 15 years, to the “Sivas Cement Factory”, of which the foundation was laid. During this century, railways, grain production farms belonging to TİGEM, animal production farms and airports were built by keeping up with the times. Türkiye, at that point, was in economic and political competition with the imperialist states it had fought against for sovereignty. The hope for the homeland instilled in the people had grown incredibly. This hope and belief has been going on for 100 years. The Republic of Türkiye is overthrowing the 100th anniversary of a well-established republic and we can say that the 100 years we are talking about are solid both historically and culturally.

Undoubtedly, many more years are on the way for the Turkish Republic because from all eternity, we’ve been a nation that has, in Atatürk’s words, chosen disappearing over surviving as slaves. Afterall it has always been either independence or death for the whole nation. Given these high and immense national feelings and beliefs, the Turkish nation will forever stay grateful and do whatever is needed for the independence as well as protecting the cultural values. It is because of this that Turkish youth should never forget their ancestors, İsmet İnönüs, Ali Fuat Cebesoys, Salih Bozoks, Mahmut Esad Bozkurts and many more who won them sovereignty and independence. Following the light held by these great leaders, we must feel the proudest for being a part of this rooted nation and contribute to our country’s development. The greatest future of the Republic of Türkiye will undoubtedly be the Turkish youth. In this respect, it is necessary for the Turkish youth to receive a national education and to be equipped with national feelings, so that the Turkish nation and its great state do not fall into the whirlpool of danger and bow before any other nation. Just as our nation’s blessing Atatürk said, “My humble body will surely become soil one day, but the Republic of Türkiye will stand firm forever.” Hope never fades!

References:

•   https://www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/turkey-on-the-way-to-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-republic/
•   https://www-dw-com.translate.goog/en/turkey-a-100-year-old-democracy-with-ups-and-downs/a-64004539?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=tr&_x_tr_hl=tr&_x_tr_pto=sc
•   https://www.britannica.com/place/Turkey/Declaration-of-the-Turkish-republic
•   https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/kemal-ataturk
•   https://www.stendustri.com.tr/makina/ataturk-un-15-yilda-kurdugu-fabrikalar-h95211.html
•   https://isteataturk.com/g/icerik/Ataturk-e-Gore-Millet-ve-Turk-Milliyetciligi/221