Reflections of the proclamation of the republic on the Turkish press

This study aims to elucidate the reflections of the republic's declaration in the Turkish press through the examination of news and columns in the newspapers of the period. The study is formed in three parts. The first part defines the concept of the republic and explores how this idea evolved in Mustafa Kemal Pasha's mindset by using modern researches. While explaining the situation of the Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it is stated that Mustafa Kemal Pasha carried out various activities to secure the independence of the Turkish nation and that he carried out his activities in great secrecy. In the second part of the study, the events that took place in the process leading to the proclamation of the republic were emphasized. It is mentioned that Mustafa Kemal Pasha made the first announcement about the form of government and the name and capital of the new Turkish state to Lazar who was the correspondent of the Neue Freie Presse newspaper, Lazar, Thus, the planning of the process leading to the declaration of the republic by Mustafa Kemal Pasha is revealed. It is explicated that as a result of the resolution of the government crisis through Mustafa Kemal Pasha's proposal, the republic was proclaimed and Mustafa Kemal Pasha was elected as the first president of Turkey. In the third part, the celebrations held on the occasion of the proclamation of the republic, the congratulatory telegrams and the reactions of the Turkish press, especially the close friends of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, to the proclamation of the republic are mentioned. It is pointed out that Mustafa Kemal Pasha's close friends reacted to the way the republic was proclaimed, if not to the proclamation itself. The Turkish press, through its columns, emphasized that the decision to declare the republic was hasty and that this decision could lead to establishment of a dictatorship. As it can be seen from the celebrations, the proclamation of the Republic was greeted with great joy by the Turkish nation. Keywords: Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Neue Freie Presse, Teşkilat-ı Esasiye Law, Government Crisis, Proclamation of the Republic