Amasya Circular

Amasya Circular
Name	Amasya Circular
Date	22 June 1919
Place	Amasya, Samsun
Significance	Proclamation calling for national independence and organization of a national congress

Amasya Circular The Amasya Circular was a proclamation issued on 22 June 1919 in Amasya by nationalist leaders including Mustafa Kemal that declared the independence of the nation’s destiny and called for a national congress. It linked events in Samsun and Erzurum with the wider response to post‑World War I settlements such as the Treaty of Sèvres and the occupation of Istanbul by Allied forces and Greek forces in Smyrna. The Circular set the organizational and political framework leading to the Turkish War of Independence and the convening of the Sivas Congress and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Background and context

In the aftermath of World War I, the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the diplomatic outcomes at the Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles produced territorial proposals affecting Anatolia, prompting reactions from officers like Mustafa Kemal and local officials in provinces such as Sivas, Erzurum, and Amasya. The Greek landing at Smyrna on 15 May 1919 and the occupation of parts of Eastern Thrace intensified nationalist sentiments among veterans of the Balkan Wars and members of organizations including the Committee of Union and Progress and the remnants of the Ottoman Parliament. The careers of figures such as Enver Pasha, Ziya Gökalp, Kazım Karabekir, and Rauf Orbay informed the ideological milieu that produced the Circular, alongside the influence of movements in Ankara, Trabzon, and Konya.

Text and content of the Circular

The Circular articulated several concrete assertions: that the nation’s integrity was in danger due to foreign occupations in Izmir, Bursa, and Adana; that the source of sovereignty resided with the nation rather than the Istanbul administration; and that a national congress should be convened to determine the fate of the homeland. Its phrasing invoked national self‑determination like that debated at the Paris Peace Conference and echoed military language familiar from the Gallipoli Campaign and the experiences of officers from the Caucasus Campaign and Mesopotamia. The Circular demanded arrests of collaborators associated with the occupation and urged organization from local committees such as those emerging in Samsun, Amasya, Sivas, and Erzurum.

Immediate political and military reactions

The proclamation provoked swift responses from the Ottoman Imperial Government in Istanbul and from occupying powers including Britain, France, and Italy. Governorates in Eastern Anatolia and the provinces of Ankara, Bursa, and Eskişehir saw mobilization of volunteers and establishment of defense committees which clashed politically with loyalist factions aligned with figures like Sultan Mehmed VI. Military leaders such as Kazım Karabekir and Refet Bele coordinated with commanders returning from fronts including the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and liaised with naval officers connected to events at Bandırma and Mudanya. International diplomatic protests referenced the Armistice of Mudros and pressures from the League of Nations precursor discussions influenced the stance of the Allied powers.

Role in the Turkish War of Independence

The Circular functioned as an organizational manifesto that paved the way for the Sivas Congress and the later Erzurum Congress, establishing the principles that underpinned the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara and military resistance under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal and allies including İsmet İnönü and Fevzi Çakmak. It provided political legitimacy for the mobilization of irregular forces and later regularized units such as the Kuva-yi Milliye and reorganized elements of the former Ottoman Army into the nationalist army that fought in battles like the Battle of Sakarya and the Great Offensive. The Circular’s emphasis on national sovereignty and territorial integrity shaped negotiations culminating in the Treaty of Lausanne and the international recognition of the new state apparatus.

Legacy and historical significance

Historians link the Circular to the crystallization of Turkish nationalist doctrine and the transition from imperial structures to a republican polity led by figures whose biographies intersect with events like the Young Turk Revolution and the Turkish National Movement. It is cited in scholarship comparing decolonization processes following World War I and in biographies of leaders such as Mustafa Kemal, Kazım Karabekir, Rauf Orbay, and Ali Fuat Cebesoy. The document influenced legal and constitutional developments preluding the 1921 Constitution and the later reforms associated with the Republic of Turkey including connections to social changes discussed by scholars of Kemalism and contemporary debates involving institutions like the Turkish Historical Society.

Commemoration and memorialization

Commemorative practices include monuments in Amasya, annual ceremonies in Samsun and Ankara, and exhibits in museums such as the Ankara Ethnography Museum and local archives in Amasya Museum. Educational curricula in institutions like Ankara University and commemorative events associated with national holidays recall the Circular alongside other foundational milestones like the Sivas Congress and the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey building. Public memory engages with cultural productions referencing the era, including films, biographies, and scholarly works preserved by organizations such as the Turkish Historical Society and municipal heritage offices.

Category:1919 documents Category:Turkish War of Independence