The Anatolian policies of İstanbul governments in the light of Ottoman documents. (October 31th, 1918—November 1920)

The Armistice of Mudros, which actually ended the First World War, was the starting point of a period that will soon begin for the Ottoman State, a period of transition from empire to a nation state. The new process started in the Ottoman Empire began with the planned occupations of the Entente Powers, which have common goals. The Ottoman Empire, which has been independent for centuries, would oppose these occupations with its full presence. People who are willing to die for this purpose have formed an union. This sense of unity, which was created under extremely difficult conditions, would be an example for many oppressed nations regarding the "defense of rights". There were three interrelated actors in decision-making and determining the appropriate course of action in this process: the Entente Powers, the Istanbul Governments and the national movement in Anatolia. The Entente Powers intended to seize the Ottoman Empire in total by capturing its weapons, demobilizing its army and destroying all of its defense power without leaving even a slight hope of liberation. There was an issue among them called the "Eastern Question". This was about how to share the land captured. As for the Istanbul Governments, they were the governments that came to power after a defeated war and naturally paid the bills of all losses of the war. Under the same title, Istanbul Governments were founded by Ahmet İzzet Pasha, Tevfik Pasha, Damat Ferit Pasha, Ali Riza Pasha and Salih Pasha, who had different understandings. Their decision on resistance meant to enter a war again but there was no military preparation to enter a war again or people to accept the war. The country could only be saved politically. It should be noted that although this was the general opinion, it was not true for every government. The Anatolian Movement, on the other hand, was the common name of the struggle of those, who do not want to give a land of their country to the enemy in all adverse conditions, between survival and death in both congresses and battlefronts in the East and the West. The scene that can be seen from their perspective was very different from the point of the Grand-Vizierate. This study will examine the politics on the Anatolian Movement of the Istanbul Governments, who were on duty between 1918 and 1920 and who were in mutual relations with both the Palace and the occupation forces.