Municipalism in the Republic Period(1923-1938)

Starting in Istanbul, the capital of Ottoman Empire, the structuring was spread all over the country. Municipal organizations that would strengthen the central government in most of the cases would have the duty of meeting the needs of the citizens in some areas.We know that Ottoman Empire had its own municipal organization although it wasn?t the same compared modern times. There was a progress in municipal works in parallel with the changes and developments in every state institution after Tanzimat.After the National Struggle, there were radical changes in state administration. Especially for the reconstruction and meeting the needs of citizens, municipal organizations were re organized.When the 1921 Constitution became valid, there were some important changes in local administration. After Ankara was announced as the capital in 1923, a new era was introduced. The works starting 1924 after Municipality Act in Ankara used to be a model for other cities.One of the most important steps to introduce modern municipal works was 1930 local elections. These elections were important both for democracy and municipal system.Between 1930 and 1938, lots of acts were introduced to solve the problems encountered while implementing the 1580 numbered article in view of the country and its citizens expectations.Key Words: Local elections, local administration, Turkish Political Life, Republic of Turkey.