From the Osman Empire to the Turkish Republic (from the twentieth century history of Turkey)

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In the twentieth century, Turkey, a state situated on the borderline between Europe and Asia, experienced many violent social and political transformations. The above process was initiated by: the fall of the Osman Empire in 1918 and the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in the year 1923. From the very beginning of its existence, the new state tried to find a proper place on the political map of Europe. It was by no means easy, if one takes into consideration the continuing threat to Turkish sovereignty posed by Russia (and then also the Soviet Union), or the uncertain situation in the Middle East The creation of the Turkish Republic, and the speeding up of the process of awakening of the Turks’ national awareness would not have been possible without the achievements of the revolution of 1908. The fact of involving the Osman Empire in the great European policy, was revealed in the year 1906, in connection with the Baghdad railway. Four years after the German had obtained permission to lengthen the route of the Orient Express to Baghdad, the construction work had reached Cilician Gates - a pass in the Taurus Mountains. The territorial integrity of the Osman Empire became seriously undermined in the spring and summer of 1908. On 5th October, Bulgaria announced its sovereignty and a day later Austro-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina which had remained under its occupation for 30 years. In the end on 12th October, an autonomous provincial assembly of Crete proclaimed the incorporation of the island into Greece. The importance of the Osman Empire as a subject of successive political games between the great powers, became revealed with double force in the period of the three years which preceded the outbreak of World War I. On 29th of September 1911, Italy declared war on Turkey. Yet another defeat of the Ottoman Porta encouraged also the Balkan states to initiate military operations against their centuries’ old enemy (two successive Balkan wars in the years 1912-1913). Following the outbreak of World War I, the Osman Empire became involved in a conflict which was to ultimately decide about its existence. The Osman Empire faced the necessity of having to conduct military operations on two fronts: the Caucasus one and the Middle Eastern one. A confirmation of the Turkish defeat in World War I was the signing of the armistice treaty with the Entente in the port of Mudros on 30th October 1918. The threat of the ultimate disintegration of the Turkish state, was prevented by the victories of the young national army over the Greek aggressor in January and March 1921 on the river Inönü. On 11th October 1922 an armistice treaty was signed in Mundanya on the Marmara Sea. The peace treaty of Lausanne (24 July 1923) was signed by a delegation which represented the Executive Commission

• a Provisional Turkish Government. On 29th October 1923, the National Assembly proclaimed the creation of the Turkish Republic in Ankara