Grand cabinet in Istanbul Press (21 july 1912 - 23 january 1913)

The declaration of second constitution has brought with majorchanges and innovations in Turkish political life. Undoubtedly the mostimportant acquirement was constitutional regime. By passing from Absolutemonarchy to constitutional monarchy, cabinet system was introduced as anew system that has never been tested before. Sultan and the parliamentwere ruling together in this system. Throughout constitutional life of it theparliament served as a mechanism of control cabinets in accordance withdemocratic regimes, the ruling-opposition relations has operated.Nine cabinets were constructed and collapsed in a short period of Fiveyears in between 1908-1913. July 22 1912, as per job undertaken by theGazi Ahmet Muhtar Pasha, grand vizier, Kamil Pasha, parliament speaker,the Grand cabinet was served as the Head of State, was also one of thelargest cabinets along the Constitutional Monarchy period. Mahmud MuhtarPasha, Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Pasha's son, being a part of the cabinet asMinister of the Navy. Thus, the cabinet was called "Father-son" cabinet andacceded with great hope. When the Grand Cabinet came to power, theOttoman Empire faced a lot of problems internally and externally. Society ofUnion and Progress had serious opposition inwardly, constantly interveningin state affairs, trying to be the attitude of society, began to be criticizedseverely by some circles. In this attitude all the dissident segments of thesociety had gathered under the name of Freedom and Entente Party in 1911.The conflict in between Freedom and Entente Party and the party of Unionand Progress escalated tension and this revolted social anarchy in thesociety. By the time, Albanian rebellion maintained its place on the agendawith its all temperature. On the other hand, Tripoli war continued whichstarted during the Hakki Pasha?s cabinet. In such time, Gazi Ahmet PashaCame to power with the words ?Neutrality? and ?Peace?. Grand Cabinet260Government could not reduce the social tension. Supporters of the Union andthe progressive removal of government, cadres of supporters of the Unionand the progressive liquidation of the state, caused community to sideoppose the government. In outward, despite the recognition of someimportant privileges of Albanians, Albania declared its independents in 1912.The war of Tripoli was lost and made the Tripoli agreement with Italy bygiving them Tripoli. Moreover, the grand cabinet who founded the foreignpolicy on ?peace? could not prevent emergence of Balkan War. As soon asupon receiving the biggest defeat of the Ottoman army in the Balkan warseven though Kamil Pasha commandeered the wars instead of Gazi AhmetMuhtar Pasha he could not achieved the desired success. The Bulgarianshad came near to Edirne and taken the city under siege. In suchenvironment, The Entente Powers has given Ottoman state a memorandumwhich required leaving City of Edirne to Bulgaria in January 17 1913. It wasdiscussed and decided how to answer that memorandum in Council of theSultanate. In January 23 1913, when the State Council gathering to write theanswer of the memorandum headed by Kamil Pasha they were surroundedby supporter of unions and progress. Rebellions asserted that Kamil Pashaleft The City of Edirne to Bulgaria and overthrew the government with bloodycoup by killing the minister of war. Kamil Pasha, maintained by force theresignation with great expectations as the name of the business alone butcould not fulfill what is expected from him. Then the Great Cabinet collapsed.Keywords:1- Grand Cabinet,2- Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Pasha,3- Kamil Pasha,4- Union and Progress Party,5- Tripoli War, 6 - Balkan Wars.