Life and ideas of İkdâmci Cevdet

Ahmed Cevdet Oran (1862-1935), known as İkdâmcı Cevdet, lived in the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the first period of the Republic. He witnessed the collapse of the Empire and the establishment of the Republic and many important events that took place during this period, either as a participant or as a close follower. His life from 1862, when he was born, until 1908, when the Second Constitutional Monarchy was proclaimed, can be characterized as "tranquility", while his life between 1908 and 1935 can be characterized as "chaos". His family, his education, his start in journalism, his acquaintance with Ahmed Midhat Efendi and the beginning of the publication of İkdâm are important aspects of the first period. He had his first experience abroad during this period when he traveled to Russia to attend the coronation ceremony of Nicholas II. Ahmed Cevdet Bey came to the forefront with the role he played in political events after 1908. He welcomed the declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy and thought that it was an achievement for the country. However, during this period, he was at odds with the Committee of Union and Progress due to his understanding of governance. Because of the murder of Hasan Fehmi, he conducted a serious opposition against the Unionists through İkdâm. He was accused of being an instigator by the Committee of Union and Progress in the March 31 Incident that took place immediately afterwards. After the suppression of the uprising, he went abroad. When he was tried in absentia and found not guilty, he left his family abroad and returned to the country. After that, he did not have any problems with the Committee of Union and Progress. During the period of the National Struggle, he supported the National Struggle with his work abroad. In Istanbul, İkdâm continued to be published with a pro-National Struggle policy. He was assigned by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to assist the delegation of negotiators at the Lausanne Conference and followed the Conference on site as a journalist. After peace was achieved, he returned to the country. At the end of 1923, he was tried in the Independence Court during the discussions on the abolition of the caliphate and was acquitted. After the trial, he met Mustafa Kemal in Izmir with a group of journalists. In addition to being a journalist, Ahmed Cevdet Bey was also very active in cultural activities and was the founder of many political, scientific and cultural societies and associations. He was one of the founding members of the Cemiyet-i Matbûât-ı Osmaniye, which was established immediately after the Constitutional Monarchy. However, he left the organization after a short time. He took part in the establishment of the Turkish Information Association, which was a continuation of the Turkish Association. In 1913, he became one of the members of the supra-partisan Müdâfaa-i Milliye Cemiyeti, founded by the Committee of Union and Progress. He tried to support the success of the aforementioned society with his articles. In 1914, he became a founding member of the Ottoman-Russian Friendship Society, which was also established under the leadership of the Committee of Union and Progress. Finally, in 1914, he attempted to establish a press professional and solidarity society under the name of Matbûât Teâvün Cemiyeti, but was not successful. In intellectual terms, Ahmed Cevdet Bey had a Turkist identity. Therefore, he both strived for the advancement of the Turkish nation himself and fought for it through İkdâm. He had a basic idea that the Turkish nation, which he claimed was lagging behind, should progress through Westernization. In this framework, he wrote many texts on education and economy, which contained the issues that should be done by the state and society.