Reflections in the National Press During the Foundation Process of “People’s Party” (December 1922–February 1923)

After the victory of the National Struggle, it was necessary that there should be no obstacles in front of the revolutions that Mustafa Kemal Pasha wanted to realize. In order to achieve this with the support of the people, Mustafa Kemal Pasha shared his opinion with the press that he would establish a new party on December 6, 1922. This required a public opinion poll. In this direction, Mustafa Kemal Pasha went on a travel of West Anatolia. Thus, he determined the characteristics of the party he was going to establish in his mind with the travel of West Anatolia between 14 January and 20 February 1923. Mustafa Kemal Pasha knew that getting the support of intellectuals would be effective in strengthening the party he would establish. On the other hand, since he knew the impact of the press on the public, it was necessary to get the support of journalists. For this reason, he held a press conference in Izmit on 16–17 January 1923. In this process, the purpose of the press was to provide the appropriate mental ground for the party to be established. Thus, the press played an important role. In this study, opinion columns written by the writers of the period in the establishment process of the People's Party in the Turkish national press, newspaper news and statements on the subject will be examined by taking into account the dates of December 1922– February 1923.

Cite this article as: Koçak, D., & Eyyüpoğlu, İ. (2022). Reflections in the national press during the foundation process of “People's Party” (December 1922–February 1923). Journal of Atatürk, 11(2), 65-73.