Kuvayı Milliye
The Kuvâyı Milliye ( Ottoman قوای ملیه İA Ḳuvā-yı Millīye , German 'National Forces' ) were resistance groups in Turkey that formed after the occupation of the country by the troops of the Triple Entente following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War . In the armistice of Mudros , the territory of the fallen Ottoman Empire was divided between the victorious powers into areas of interest, so the Greeks occupied the west, the British, Italians and French the south of the country. France secured its claim to the south of Turkey during the war on May 16, 1916 in the Sykes-Picot Agreement .
Emergence
The Kuvayı Milliye were the first armed groups of the Turkish Liberation War who fought against the occupiers and did not accept any further division of the empire. They consisted of deserted officers from the Ottoman army and militias. They took action for the first time in Izmir , which had been occupied by the Greek army . There the Kuvayı Milliye were set up and organized by some officers. In Western Anatolia, these Kuvayı Milliye fought against the Greek armies through hit and run actions before the national movement around Mustafa Kemal could raise an army.
The Kuvayı Milliye fought the regular armies of the occupiers with guerrilla tactics . The scattered units were bundled and organized by the counter-government in Ankara and built and converted into an army from the first battle at Inönü.
Mustafa Kemal said the following about the creation of the Kuvayı Milliye:
“The seat of government was largely surrounded by enemies. This encirclement was both political and military. It was in such a situation that it [the government] gave orders to the forces defending the country and maintaining the independence of the nation and the state. However, decisive institutions of the state did not function with such orders alone. They couldn't either. The main task of the army was actually to protect these institutions. Although it called itself 'army', it did not deserve that name. It is for this reason that the basic task of defending and protecting the homeland rests directly with the nation itself. We call that Kuva-yı Milliye ... "
Dissolution of Kuvâyı Milliye
Although the Kuvayı Milliye were the first step in the liberation of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal later disbanded them. They lacked discipline and experience. They had no chance against the occupying armies in open field battles. In addition, some groups practiced vigilante justice and later rebelled against the new government of Turkey. The leaders who rebelled against Mustafa Kemal were Demirci Mehmet Efe and Çerkez Ethem .
Some well-known members of the Kuvâyı Milliye
- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
- Halide Edip Adivar
- Fevzi Çakmak
- İsmet İnönü
- Kâzım Karabekir
- Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu
- Mehmet Fuat Köprülü
- Up Orbay
- Şükrü Saracoğlu
Remarks
- ↑ Turkish original: Hükümet merkezi, düşmanların şiddetli çemberi içindeydi. Siyasal ve askerî bir çember vardı. İşte böyle bir çember içinde yurdu savunacak, ulusun ve devletin bağımsızlığını koruyacak kuvvetlere emrediyorlardı. Bu biçimde yapılan emirlerle, devlet ve ulusun araçları temel görevlerini yapamıyorlardı. Yapamazlardı there. Bu araçları savunmanın birincisi olan ordu da, 'ordu' adını korumakla birligte, elbette temel görevini yerine getirmekten yoksundu. İşte bunun içindir ki yurdu savunmak ve korumak olan temel görevi yerine getirmek, doğrudan doğruya, ulusun kendisine kalıyor. Buna kuva-yi milliye diyoruz ...