About the committee The calendars read October 30, 1918. With the signing of the Armistice of Mudros, which brought World War I to an end, the Ottoman Empire had been dissolved. Under Article 7 of the armistice, the Ottoman Empire was required to surrender its heavy weapons, and the Allied Powers would have the right to occupy any strategic point should a situation arise that threatened their security. All railroads and the Taurus Tunnels would be placed under the control of the Allied Powers. Control of all radio, telegraph, and telephone lines, except for government communications, would pass to the Allied Powers, and a commission would be established. According to Article 24, should any unrest arise in the six provinces of Eastern Anatolia (Vilayeti-i Sitte: Erzurum, Van, Harput, Diyarbakır, Sivas, Bitlis), the Allied Powers would be able to occupy these areas. In such a case, preparations were underway to establish an independent Armenian minority in the eastern region. Even before the ink on the Treaty had dried, French troops had occupied Iskenderun and Mosul. Italy had occupied Adana and Antalya, Greek occupation forces had taken control of Izmir, and the Allied Powers had placed Istanbul under their protection. On May 15, 1919, the Greek occupation of Izmir and acts of violence against the people—including the burning of supplies and the destruction of property—had roused the Turkish people to action. With the support of the Allied Powers, the Greek and Armenian communities in eastern Anatolia had begun efforts to establish their own independent states. At that time, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk assumed the post of Inspector General of the 9th Army on May 19, 1919, and set sail for Samsun to take up his duties there. This is regarded as one of the first steps toward independence and national resistance. Four months earlier, the Paris Peace Conference had been convened, where the Allied Powers had discussed and competed over how many parts the Ottoman Empire’s territorial integrity would be divided into and how much each would receive; this had increased the distrust among the Allied Powers and intensified the conflicts between them. At the Erzurum Congress (July 23 – August 7, 1919), the decisions adopted declared that the homeland is an indivisible whole within its national borders and territory, and mandates and protectorates (colonial activities) were rejected. The Sivas Congress convened on September 4, and the Anatolian and Rumelia Societies for the Defense of Rights united under a single umbrella to make their voices heard in Anatolia; mandate and protectorate were categorically rejected. To make their voices heard, they published a newspaper titled *İrade-i Milliye*. Through the Amasya Talks, the Istanbul Government officially and legally recognized the Delegation (the leadership of the National Struggle) for the first time. It was decided to convene the Chamber of Deputies. Following these talks, on December 27, 1919, the Delegation and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set out for Ankara. The reason for holding the talks in Ankara was that the railroads there had not been occupied, and it seemed to be the best location for monitoring their operations. In accordance with the agreement reached in Amasya, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was elected as the deputy for Erzurum in nationwide elections. The Assembly convened in Istanbul. Mustafa Kemal did not go to Istanbul for security reasons, but he asked the deputies who did go to form a group in the Assembly in support of the national struggle. On January 28, 1920, during a secret meeting in Istanbul, the Missak-i Milli borders were drawn alongside the Ottoman borders, and the independence of the Turkish borders was declared to the international community. On March 16, 1920, in Istanbul, the Allied Powers stormed the Chamber of Deputies established by Abdulhamid II, arrested some deputies, and exiled them to Malta. Following the intervention of Sultan Mahveddin and Damat Ferit Pasha, the Assembly was closed on April 11, 1920. Meanwhile, the advance into the interior of Anatolia continued. When the stage was set, the newly established Grand National Assembly assumed its historic mission. However, the political climate within the Assembly was unstable; prominent figures and intellectuals from both the right-wing and left-wing factions in Anatolia mounted strong opposition within the Assembly, and indeed, the first left-wing group, the Green Army, was formed that same month. Right-wing and Islamist groups have also begun to form their own factions. In addition, there are criticisms emerging from the faction of the Committee of Union and Progress that continues to exist. The newly established Turkish Communist Party (TKP) in Baku and Enver’s initiatives hinting at a desire to return from exile represent external challenges. Only time will tell who will achieve that grand goal of saving the state and transforming it according to their own vision or whether it can truly be achieved at all.
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TremorMUN 2026
