Free Republican Party based on data fom Yarın newspaper

The current study aims to provide information about Free Republican Party (FRP)(Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası) based on data from Yarın Newspaper. Why especially YarınNewspaper? Because the newspaper in question had already formed a line of oppositionagainst Ismet Pasha government well before the foundation of FRP and had become a fierysupporter of it after the party was founded. It is certain that, it would not be possible tocomprehend a political institution as a whole based on the data from a journal which hasmainly positioned itself against the power. But Yarın Newspaper?s editorial stand after thefoundation of FRP had turned it to spokesperson of the party. So even though partly, thenewspaper in question has a significant effect on understanding the FRP.The Turkey of 1920-30?s was a country struggling with huge questions. Thecountry had emerged from a violent war with victory but in turn it had consumed all itsfinancial means, in other words, it had no resources left to spare to its development. Thedebts which were decided upon in Lausanne were due to be paid; a number of renovationswere introduced in the social field and it was unclear then how these renovations would beperceived by the society; so allowing an opposition under such circumstances was seen asa means to measure how the renovations were taken by the society. Additionally, MustafaKemal Pasha had made his mind in the sense that, with the possibility of RepublicanPeople?s Party?s falling into an ever increasing languor, it would be quite beneficial toform an opposition party in the parliament. Mustafa Kemal had called Fethi Bey, who wasthen ambassador in Paris and proposed him to form an opposition party in the parliamentand promised him all necessary help he might need. This issue was reflected on thenewspapers of the era with Fethi Bey?s letters expressing his desire to form a party andMustafa Kemal?s answers to him. Following the publication of these letters in thenewspapers, the third political party of the Republic, the Free Republican Party wasfounded. What sort of politics the party would maintain and what economical pattern itwould follow, and its agreements and disagreements with Republican Peoples Party werethe questions yet to be answered. Furthermore, as the founder of Peoples Republican Party,it was a leading point of curiosity that what stand would Mustafa Kemal take towards thisnew party. Soon after Fethi Bey started to issue statements, especially through Yarınnewspaper, about the program of the party and the economical policies that the partywould follow. In these statements, he mentioned that he favored a full freedom. As forMustafa Kemal, he somehow satisfied the question marks by including his sister amongstthe founders of the FRP.The FRP was greeted with much higher interest than expected. Many telegramswere sent to the party center from different parts of the country asking about themembership procedure and how to open the branches. As known, the demonstrationorganized by this party in İzmir and the incidents that followed was a milestone in thehistory of this short-lived party. The party was gradually becoming a center for the reactingmasses. In the face of these events, Fethi Bey had noticed that the party was sleeping awayfrom its actual objective and was becoming a threat to the regime and consequently he hadto close down his party. This means an important phase both for Fethi Bey?s life and alsofor the efforts of Republic in transition to a multi party political life.Key words: Yarın Newspaper, Free Republican Party, Opposition