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Victory Day and establishment of the Turkish Republic
Victory Day and establishment of the Turkish Republic
Turkish people are celebrating Victory Day on Aug. 30 marking the anniversary of when Turkish armies succeeded in the Great Offensive under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk against occupying Greek forces on the same date in 1922. (AA Photo)
Victory Day marks the final battle against Greek forces in Dumlupınar in 1922 and is dedicated to Turkey’s armed forces.
From Aug. 26 to Aug. 30 of 1922, Turkish forces fought the Battle of Dumlupınar in Turkey’s western Kütahya province, where the invading Greek army was decisively defeated.
By the end of 1922, all foreign forces had left the territories which would collectively become the new Republic of Turkey one year later.
“Armies, your first goal is the Mediterranean. Forward!” Atatürk ordered the army which would move out from western Kütahya on Sept. 1, 1922.
On Aug. 27, the Turkish Army liberated Afyonkarahisar from the Greek Army, Kütahya on Aug. 30, and İzmir on Sept. 9.
Two years later on Aug. 30, 1924, Atatürk attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Martyr Sancaktar Soldier Monument.
Addressing the audience, Atatürk said: “The Turkish nation has once again engraved this truth in the bosom of history with a steel pen with the victory it has won, the power it showed and its will.”
After the War for Independence ended with victory, the Lausanne Conference was held on Nov. 20, 1922.
After months-long discussions, İnönü, a successful general and the first prime minister of modern Turkey, signed the treaty that had defined the borders of the Turkish Republic and ended foreign occupation for good.
The victories at the battlefield were being crowned with diplomatic and political gains as well. On Oct. 28, 1923, Mustafa Kemal told his friends and lawmakers at a dinner party that the republic will be founded on Oct. 29. “Gentlemen! We shall declare the republic tomorrow” is what Atatürk said on the night of Oct. 28, 1923 as he addressed lawmakers and his close brothers-in-arms.
One day later, the Turkish Parliament adopted the new regime type and elected Atatürk as the first president with 158 votes, as lawmakers were heard shouting, “Long live the Republic! Long live Mustafa Kemal Pasha!"
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