Sivas, which hosted the Sivas Congress held on September 4, 1919 by the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades in arms, where the idea of "mandate and patronage" was rejected and the idea of national independence was adopted, decisions were taken that would shed light on the national liberation struggle, and was the center of the 108-day War of Independence, is witnessing enthusiastic days on the 107th anniversary of the historical congress.
The celebrations, which started on August 31 for the anniversary of the congress, continue with various events.
As part of the celebrations, Atatürk's arrival in Sivas will be reenacted yesterday, and a folk dance show will be performed today.
A clothing fashion show with the theme of "National Will from the Seljuks to the Republic" and the National Pact Carpet Cutting Ceremony will be held in the garden of the Atatürk Congress Museum, where the congress was held.
A wreath will be laid at the Ataturk Monument in the city on September 4, a representation of the Sivas Congress will be performed at the Ataturk and Congress Museum, and a helicopter show will be held.
As part of the celebrations, Sivas 10th Agriculture, Livestock and Food Fair will be opened. Following the cortege program and the Janissary concert, the Folk Dance Group show will be performed. A concert program will be held in the evening.
Sivas Congress celebrations will end with the Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Karakucak Türkiye Championship to be held on September 5.
"Sivas Congress offers the options of independence or death"
Serap Bozpolat Ayan, lecturer at the Department of Ataturk's Principles and Revolution History at Sivas Cumhuriyet University, told the AA reporter that books would not be enough to explain the Sivas Congress.
Emphasizing that the Sivas Congress was a congress in which the Turkish nation called "I will not surrender", Ayan said, "The only concrete option before us in the Sivas Congress seems to be mandate and protection, but Turkish captives cannot survive, protection and colonialism can never be an option for us. That is why the Sivas Congress offers the options of either independence or death. In other words, mandate and protection are worse than death for us and are not an option for us. The existence of Turks will only be possible with independence." he said.
Recalling that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk emphasized that the character of the Turk is freedom and independence, Ayan said, "We are under occupation, our flag, our territorial integrity, our independence are in danger and we are virtually stateless. We are seriously under the intervention of the victorious states. We are now in a process where they want to rule our destiny. In such an environment, it seems like there is a path ahead of us, but we are going through a process in which it is pitch black and we cannot see our way. Mustafa Kemal's words Its role is actually to illuminate this path. The Sivas Congress is one of the most important pillars of this, and in a way, it is the beginning." he said.
Stating that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk pointed out the Sivas Congress in the Amasya Circular, Ayan said:
"By deciding to fight for our independence at the Sivas Congress, we begin to illuminate this path and start walking together on the enlightened path. In fact, the decision taken at the Sivas Congress informs us how the whole process will continue. The Sivas Congress, which took place on September 4-11, and the decisions taken there, one step later, led to the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on April 23, 1920, followed by the rejection of Sèvres, the war of Independence on August 30. "We can say that it provides us with the great victory that came in 1922, the republic that followed on October 29, 1923, and even today."
Stating that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk never accepted mandates and patronage and walked with the nation, Ayan said, "Republic means the development of the national will. This step begins in Sivas, that is why Mustafa Kemal says 'We laid the foundation of the Republic in Sivas'. We have the honor and pride of taking the first step of becoming a fully independent state within our territorial integrity here." he said.
Sivas Congress
Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk continued the national liberation struggle he started in Samsun on May 19, 1919, by coming to Sivas, which he saw as a "reliable city", on June 27, 1919, after Amasya. At the meeting held in Sivas, the situation of the country was discussed and it was decided to hold a national congress in the city as soon as possible.
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who left Amasya to attend the Erzurum Congress, came to Sivas on 27 June 1919 and was welcomed with enthusiasm by the people of Sivas.
Atatürk, who later went to Erzurum, returned to Sivas on 2 September 1919 after the Erzurum Congress and stayed until 18 December 1919.
The Sivas Congress, where the foundations of the Republic of Türkiye were laid, was held by Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his accompanying delegation on Thursday, September 4, 1919, at 14:00, in today's Ataturk and Congress Museum building.
According to records, at the congress, whose official activities lasted 7 days, various agenda items for the salvation of the nation were discussed under the chairmanship of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The congress, where "mandate" discussions took place in Sivas on 8-9 September 1919, closed with the publication of the final declaration on 11 September 1919.
"Mandate and protection cannot be accepted"
Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his Representative Committee announced the decisions taken at the congress at the meeting held with the participation of the public on 12 September 1919.
An interesting event also took place at the congress, where very important decisions were taken for the salvation of the nation, such as "Mandates and protectorates are unacceptable". At the congress held on September 4, 1919, with the participation of delegates from various parts of the country, there was also a military medical student named "Hikmet", who came to the city with the money they collected, as the representative of his fellow students.
At the meeting held in Mustafa Kemal Pasha's room on the evening of September 8, where exciting mandate discussions took place, military medical student Hikmet stated the following:
"Pasha, the medical students of whom I am a delegate sent me here to participate in the work to achieve our cause of independence. I cannot accept the mandate. If there are those who will accept it, whoever they are, we will strongly reject and condemn it. Farzimuhal, if you accept the idea of the mandate, we will also reject you, and we will call Mustafa Kemal not a savior of the homeland, but a destroyer of the homeland, and condemn him."
He was touched by these words and said, "Friends, look at the youth, pay attention to the expression of the noble blood within the Turkish national body." Mustafa Kemal Pasha said, then turned to Hikmet Bey and said, "Son, be of good cheer. I am proud of my youth and I trust the youth. We will not accept the mandate even if we remain in the minority. Our password is one and unchangeable, either independence or death." he said.
At that time, women from Sivas took a close interest in the immigrants, mostly women and children, coming from Trabzon and Erzurum. After Mustafa Kemal Pasha stated that Turkish women should also participate in the War of Independence in an organized manner, women of Sivas began working to establish an association. The association called Anatolian Women Defense of the Homeland Society was founded on December 9, 1919.
The process from the Sivas Congress to the declaration of the Republic
With the Sivas Congress held between 4-11 September 1919 under the chairmanship of Atatürk, the concepts of "national sovereignty" and "national will", which Mustafa Kemal Pasha had thought about and voiced since his youth and included as the most important issue in his official correspondence from the moment he landed in Samsun, began to be reflected in state life.
The first organizational activity covering the whole of the people was carried out in Sivas, and the Sivas Congress functioned almost like a national assembly in terms of its form and content.
With the participation of the newly elected members at the congress, the Representation Committee, which covers the whole country, became a board with a primary say in the fate of the country, and the legitimate organs of the national movement were shaped.
The Sivas Congress eliminated the obstacles to the state and enabled the people to mobilize as a whole, in line with the program it had drawn. This movement opened the door to a great victory on September 9, 1922, and was crowned with the declaration of the Republic on October 29, 1923.
