Political activities of Kiraz Ahmet Hamdi Pasha during the Armistice period (1918-1922)

The Armistice of Mudros was signed at the end of the First World War. In this period, liquidated people during the Union and Progress administration reappeared on the scene. Hamdi Pasha was among these names, he was retired during the time of the Unionists while waiting of his rank to be promoted. During the armistice period, Hamdi Pasha was first appointed as the Commander of the Twentieth Corps, replacing Ali Fuat Pasha, and had the opportunity to stay in Eskişehir for a short time. During his stay here, he made some attempts against the national movement in partnership with the British and the local administration. After returning to Istanbul from Eskişehir, between October 1919-November 1922, he participated to the meetings to change the cabinets that were not strong enough against the National Movement and he tried to be the minister in the designed cabinets, but he never achieved this goal. He was among the founders and members of the British Enthusiasts, Kızıl Hançer, Askeri Nigehban, Anadolu İttihad-ı Vatan, Necat ve İtila, Teşkilat-ı Ahmediye and Zabitan groups. In this period, he carried out his main activities first under the İla-yi Vatan, which was an official organization, and then the Tarikat-i Salahiye, which was seen as an underground extension of it. They were trying to look like an Islamic sect and at the same time to give a Masonic image to the Tarikat-i Salahiye and they adopted this structure. Hamdi Pasha had made financial gains due to both these structures and other activities because he was essentially carrying out his activities not for ideologies behind which he appeared, but for material gains. With the success of the national movement, he escaped to Romania with the help of the British. One hundred and fifty people were included in a list, and he was sentenced to death in absentia. He continued his works in the Tarikat-i Salahiye in Romania and He acted as an informant for Republic of Turkey, but his informing was deemed suspicious. After that, he suffered financial difficulties for a short time, than he died in Romania in 1935. Key Words: Kiraz Hamdi Pasha, İla-yi Vatan, Tarikat-i Salahiye, Twentieth Corps, 150 Persona Non Grata, Opposition to National Forces.