Notes on Ataturk

 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Time Line

1881 born  Mustafa   born in Salonica Greece.

1878 Abdul Hamid II  

1893 Enter Military Preparatory School in Salonica

1899 Enter Officers Training Collage in Istambul

1905 Passes out as Staff Captain aged 23 Posted to 5th Army in Damascus revives a secret opposition group 

1908 Young Turk Revolution.

         Bulgarian Independence King Ferdinand ruled 

 1909 Mehmet V  on Abdul Hamed II being deposed.

1911 Promoted to Major

1911/1912 Italo Turkish War

1913 Mustafa Kemal promoted Lieutenant-Colonel.

1913/ 1922 Armenian Genocide

1914 Ottoman German Alliance signed

1915 Gallipoli British try to invade 

1915 Sinking of the Lusitania 

1916 Gallipoli  British withdraw defeated making Mustafa  Kamal a hero.

1917  April US declared war on Germany as a result of the Zimmerman telegram.

1918  Mehmed VI (Vehid-ed-din)

1918,October 30,  aboard the British battleship Agamemnon, Turkey capitulated.

 1918,November 11, at 11:00 AM fighting of World War I ended with the signing of an armistice.

1919 Britain , France, Italy Greece began occupying Turkey. Greece in Izmeer. 

1920 Treaty of Serves with the Sultan agreed to conquered  Turkey being under the Allies for 5 years.

1921 Kamel  Appointed Commander - in - Chief by the Grand National Assembly.

1921 Battle of Sakarya, was the biggest battle against Greece that turned the tide in Turkeys favour.

1922  Mehmed VI  deposed in 1924 and went into exile.

1922 The Grand National Assembly abolish the Sultanate and ruled from Ankara

1923 Treaty of Lausanne. Defined Turkeys borders and was the final treaty of WW1 

1923 Oct 29thThe Turkish republic proclaimed and Kamal elected as President.

1928 Turkish changed from Arabic to Latin script.

1934 Kamal granted the name Ataturk (father of the nation) by the Grand National Assembly

1938 Death of Ataturk.Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul aged 57 of  cirrhosis of the liver. 

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• Italo Turkish War.1911-1912
• Italy obtained unity in 1871 and by 1811 wanted to reconstitute the Roman Empire. France had taken Morocco Algeria and Tunisia while the British were in Egypt. Italy was worried she would lose her opportunity. First Italian merchant and settlers were  encouraged to move to Tunisia and trade, to avoid conflict the Ottomans gave them permission to do this. In 1911 the Italian PM sent 25,000 troops to invade and the quickly took over the coastal towns. The Ottoman and tribal Arabs joined forces against the Italians.
• This was the first time aircraft was used in both recognizance and bombing. The Turks were split between those who supported the Sultan and the Revolutionary  Committee of Progress. This was when the Italians took the Dodecanese Islands and Rhodes and 13 islands in the Aegean to stop Ottoman ship helping Libya and attacked the Ottoman fleet in the Dardanelles.
• Mustafa Kemal  arrived there on a Russian ship as a tourist and fought in the battles of Derma and Tobruk.  His masterful leadership and organization earned him the respect of his comrades and cemented his reputation as a capable officer ready for WW1  ceded its North African territories of Tripoli and Cyrenaica to Italy in  The Treaty of Lausanne 1912 Libya was declared Independent by the Ottomans. Then Italy could declare it a colony. More Italian soldiers died of dysentery than battle. This was one of the many sparks causing WW1 later.
• The Ottomans had to take their officers to deal with the Balkan wars and Mustafa Kemal was needed there. This was the end of the Ottomans in North Africa

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1919 - 1922 Greek Turkish War
 Greece, with the backing of the Entente Powers Greek invasion of Izmir  Immediately resulted in Turkish guerilla attacking  and spurred the formation of the Turkish National Movement, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Hundred of Turks' were killed but the Greeks failed to get control. which unified resistance against the occupation and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The allies supported 5 year occupation of Anatolia by the Greeks and for the Turks to pay reparation.
1920Treaty of Sevres The British declared the Dardanelles  to be an international Waterway.
This treaty caused more Turks to rally to Mustafa's cause. In any case the allies could not impose this treaty by force. The Greeks were hoping the British would send them support troop which didn't happen.
In the Kamal also drove the Armenians back with great loss of life and drove them to territory of the former Russian Empire.
1920 King Konstantin returned from Exile. The was a split in the Greek government and they were losing in Anatolia and also not getting less allied support. Meanwhile the Turks were getting stronger and in Ankara formed a new constitution, condemned the Sultan in Istanbul signed a treaty with Bolshevik Russia and got weapon shipments.  Even observer Arnold Toymbee realized the Greeks had no chance.
The Greeks got to 50 km of Ankara but outran their supplies, also they could not advance into the soft marshy terrain. Then retreating were attacked by the Turks. The month long battle of Sakkara ended with the Greeks looking for a diplomatic solution. 
1921 The Ankara Treaty the French signed with Turkey. This legitimized Kamal's government and cancelled the Treaty of Serves. This meant that Kamal's southern front was freed up and he captured many French weapons. Allied support for Greece was ending.
Another agreement was signed with the Soviets and the Turks were getting stronger while the Greeks weaker.  The Turks staged an organized attack adn the Greek army disintegrated.
The Turks closed in on Smyrna and the city was burned. Europeans fled to some of the British ships .
The Asia Minor Catastrophe caused the fall of the Greek government  by a coup of Generals and the King abdicated.
An armistice was signed giving the Greeks 2 weeks to leave Thrace 1.2 million Turks had fled from Turkey by the end of 1922.
1923 The Lausanne treaty Established the borders of the modern Turkish Republic, recognition of Turkish  sovereignty,, demilitarization of the Aegean islands. Freedom of the Turkish Straits for international shipping.  It recognized the compulsory population exchanged of over a million Greeks from Turkey and thus forced 400, 000 Moslems to leave Greece.
 ( it set a dangerous precedent by using ethnic cleansing as a tool for "peace". )
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The Franco Turkish War
1920 Treaty of Sèvres.had divided the Ottoman Empire it was signed  with the Sultan in Constantinople
In South Eastern Turkey via the Sykes Picot Agreement between the British and French the Ottoman Empire was divided up.  Armenians refugees  who had fled the Genocide as many as 110,000 now returned to their homes which had been either destroyed or taken over by others. Initially only 4000 French troops had arrived, but this force was much too small. They used the Armenians as a police force and they started taking revenge on the local Turks till the French disbanded them. 
These were in areas that the Turks  considered part of Turkey proper. Initially Turkish guerilla began to work but later regular Turkish troops arrived and they started killing the Armenians. Another 12,000 French troops arrived. By the end of the war the French had lost 5000 troops.
This war was costing France far too much and  Aristide Briand negotiated a the Treaty of Ankara with Kemal Ataturk. This recognized French control of Syria and Lebanon. This was a separate peace treaty without the British., the first to recognize the Nationalist Turkish government. France was also offered good trade agreements with Turkey.
From Cilicia the Armenian fled and were evacuated on ships some heading to France, Egypt other to French Syria.
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 Ataturk War Either Independence of Death by Muge Sozen 2025 200pg    2/11/25
Istanbul was occupied by British , French , Greek , and Italian troops after Turkey had capitulated from WW1
Franchet d Esperey the French General marched in on horseback had offended the population. Disrespect was shown to mosques and the arrogant attitude of the occupying soldiers soldiers to trying to suppress. Non Moslems were getting the better roles and the population were scared and hungry. Plus dozens of foreign ships were in the Bosporus. Ataturk said "as they came so shall they leave.  "
1919 Greeks  to invade Izmir. The local  society for the Rejection of Annexation sprung up under Maci Hasan Pasha. They needed to raise awareness amongst the local people, to raise a spirit of resistance amongst the people with writing and speeches. Kamal Pasha was sent from Istanbul to lead the 9th army in Anatolia to prevent a conflict between Turks and Greeks, to prevent the resistance that was feared. He arrived at the coastal town of Samsun. However he rejected the surrender  policies of Istanbul. Greek gangs were attacking Turkish villages. Turkish women brought food and offered a roof for the Kamal and entourage.
Never hesitate to take step that will determine the fate of the nation. This was supported by Amasya Mufti and the town of Amasya cheered him "Long Live the Pasha" This town's architecture went back to the  glory of the Seljuk Turks  and the Amasya Circular was published and circulated. In Erzurum the Society of the Defence of Rights united  with the Trabzon Society. You also had people fleeing to here from occupied cities of Anatolia as well as regions controlled by the Istanbul government.  Remember the Seljuk Turks. Also the 9th Corps was Kamel to serve. Our fate is not in the hands of the few people in Istanbul, we as a nation will determine our destiny. They realized how weak the Istanbul government was, that it signed a treaty that they did not recognize.  
In Ezurum they brought out the Ezurum Congress manifesto. against all forms of foreign occupation or intervention. They moved on to Sivas and eventually got to Ankara that would be the control centre of the fight. Ankara was chosen as it was the heart of Anatolia far from the clutches of occupying powers and a main railway hub. The support came from farmers , teachers, all who could as well as old professional soldiers. They started a National Assembly to bring about a national economy, and began to lay down a constitution that would lay the foundation of the Turkish State. 
Kemal now gave instructions for the reorganization of the army and the arming of the people. He gave a speech "Gird your loins and be ready to defend the homeland."  He sent out telegrams to local administrations to mobilize everyone.  At Kars on the Armenian attacks, and refugees who fled from there came to Anatolia. Turkish forces, under General Kâzım Karabekir, aimed to "eliminate Armenia physically and politically". The conflict led to the permanent expulsion of many ethnic Armenians from the region,  In the South the French had occupied and they experience resistance in Antep, Moras and Adana. People brought out rifles inherited from grand parent and started laying barricades in the streets, they cut enemy lines and seized their ammunition. The news of this uprising in the south was in secret press in Istanbul  and radio broadcasts, and was very encouraging.
The Organizational Law was drawn up and this was on a basis of democracy. Everyone was doing something to aid the war effort and women took part in supplies of food, carrying bullet as nursing the wounded, and raising the public morale.
  Inonu was the first major Greek attack , an army superior in numbers and weapons. Ismet Pasha led the Turkish forces and this victory gave hope as the Greeks retreated in disarray.
Kutahya Eskisgehir this battle was a defeat for the Turks. The Greek army had a numerical superiority
 The Kamal decided on a strategic retreat to take a stand at Sakarya. Here on the bends of the Sakarya river, the army was extremely well dug in and this would be the last fortress. The Greeks were gung ho because of their success of the previous battle. Sakarya was the great offensive that Kemal had planned and lasted 22 nights by which time the Greek army was in a state of disarray and forced to retreat. A further victory at Kocatepe. The at Dumlupinar the Turks managed to encircle and cut the retreat of the Greeks.
Izmir the victorious troop arrived to be welcomed as liberators however the city  was burning. Smoke from the Armenian quarter spread throughout the city. The non-Muslim population were escaping on Greek ships, many listing from being overloaded. The fire was out of control and the army tried to bring the flames under control. Foreign ships were also entering to rescue the population, in particular French and British.
1922 Oct. In Mudanya negations took place leading to the Armistice of Mudanya. General Harrington represented the British, with French General Charpy and Italian General Mombelli and Ismet Pasha for Turkey. The Greeks had to withdraw and led to the wars end.
1922,November 1,  when the Grand National Assembly of Turkey abolished the monarchy. The last sultan, Mehmed VI, left Istanbul
1923 July 24th Treaty of Lausanne Switzerland confirmed the above with British Lord Curzon, French Barrere and Italian Montagna with Ismet Pasha. Issues like borders, minority rights and debts had to be finalized.
Sovereignty rests unconditionally with the nation by this stage the Sultan had no part to play in Istanbul. The Entarte nations with drew the occupation from the Bosporus in return for shipping guarantees.




Mons ANZAC and Kut by an MP  by Aubrey Herbert   1919 170pg.  1/10/25
Book Dedicated to Lord Robert Cecil an architect of the League of Nations and won a Nobel Prize in 1937 for his tireless efforts in support of the League of Nations, disarmament and peace.
The author was a interpreter and writer ,who spoke English, French, Italian, German, Turkish, Arabic, Greek, and Albanian. His extensive travels and diplomatic postings helped him become fluent in these languages, particularly those of the Middle East and the Balkans.  Started in WW1 in France then in Egypt as an intelligence  officer and ended up seeing the siege of Kut Al Amara (7 December 1915 – 29 April 1916), also known as the first battle of Kut, was the besieging of an 8,000-strong British-Indian Army garrison in the town of Kut, 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army.
1915 In France wherever they saw airplanes troops always shot at them not knowing if friend or foe.
General Sir Maxwell commanded the troops in Egypt. Rupert Brooke had been in Egypt and later died in the Greek island of Skyros of blood poisoning of a mosquito bite aged 27.  . Prince Hussein had been proclaimed Sultan of Egypt, died in 1917 and was succeeded by  Fuad who changed his title to King, when Britain formally recognized Egypt's independence in 1922.
At Gallipoli the Australians  under General Monash landed first, the British 29th then landed at Hellas this included Indian troops, and later the French landed in Asia near Troy. The New Zealanders had the dash and élan of the Australians but the discipline of the Englishmen. The Zion Mule Corp under Colonel Patterson of lion hunting fame. Greeks and Armenians were conscripts who hated their masters. Some Greeks were deserters and the fact that a man spoke Turkish did no make him a Turk
This book covers life in the trenches at the start of WW1 , then like in the Battle of Gallipoli too detailed not enough history,