Türkiye is set to mark Tuesday the 107th anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s arrival in Samsun on May 19, 1919, the historic journey that launched the National Struggle and eventually led to the founding of the Republic.
The anniversary, commemorated each year as Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, remembers the beginning of the independence movement led by Atatürk at a time when much of the country was under occupation following World War I.
After the Armistice of Mudros was signed on Oct. 30, 1918, several regions across Anatolia came under foreign occupation – Greek forces occupied western Türkiye's Izmir, French forces occupied Adana in southern Türkiye, while Italian troops entered Antalya in the south and central Türkiye's Konya.
British troops, in the meantime, landed in southeastern Türkiye's Urfa and Antep, Maraş in the south and northern Türkiye's Merzifon and Samsun, while the British navy anchored off Istanbul on Nov. 13, 1918.
Having spent years defending the homeland on various fronts during World War I, Atatürk returned to Istanbul on Nov. 3, 1918, from his position as commander of the Yıldırım Armies Group and soon began taking steps toward national liberation.
Supported by British troops that landed in Samsun on March 17-18, 1919, armed Greek groups in the region carried out raids and stirred unrest in an effort to open the area to occupation by Allied powers under Article 7 of the Armistice of Mudros.
As Turkish residents organized to defend themselves and protect their lives and property, the British High Commission and the Black Sea Army Command expressed concern over developments in the region and submitted a note to the Ottoman government on April 21, 1919, demanding that tensions be reduced and alleged attacks against Greeks be prevented.
Atatürk was then appointed inspector of the 9th Army to restore order in the region. One day after the occupation of Izmir on May 15, 1919, he departed from Istanbul aboard the Bandırma ferry.
He and his companions first stepped onto Samsun soil on May 19 via the Reji Pier. During World War I, Russian forces had bombed all of the city’s piers except the French-owned Reji Pier, also known as the Tobacco Pier because of a French cigarette factory operating in the city at the time.
Following concerns among British authorities over his arrival in Samsun, Atatürk remained in the city for six days before moving to Havza on May 25.
The first rally of the National Struggle was held in Havza under Atatürk’s instructions, where participants protested the occupation of Izmir. Havza became Atatürk’s second stop on the road toward liberation, where he spent 18 days carrying out critical work for the National Struggle before heading to Amasya.
After British pressure over the growing movement in Havza led to his dismissal as inspector of the 9th Army, Atatürk bid farewell to the people of Havza as a civilian.
The torch of liberation lit by Atatürk and his comrades in Samsun later spread to Amasya, Erzurum and Sivas before expanding across the country. Following the success of the National Struggle, the Republic of Türkiye was founded on Oct. 29, 1923, and is marking its 103rd anniversary this year.
Prof. Dr. Kaya Tuncer Çağlayan of Ondokuz Mayıs University described the National Struggle as one of the most important periods in Turkish history.
Çağlayan said Article 7 of the Armistice of Mudros paved the way for occupations and played a critical role in the partition process of the Ottoman Empire, recalling that many parts of Anatolia, especially Istanbul and the straits, were under occupation.
He also noted that British troops landed in Samsun on March 9 and May 17, 1919, emphasizing that the National Struggle represented not only a fight for independence and territorial integrity but also an effort to protect national and spiritual values.
"From this perspective, the National Struggle was the Turkish nation’s fight to protect these lands as a homeland," Çağlayan said. "It was not only a struggle for independence and territorial integrity, but also a struggle to preserve national and spiritual values."
Çağlayan said that after evaluations carried out by Atatürk and his comrades in occupied Istanbul, the idea of conducting the National Struggle from Anatolia became unavoidable.
"Mustafa Kemal Pasha was appointed inspector of the 9th Army and, within the scope of this appointment, nearly half of Anatolia, meaning all of Eastern Anatolia, was placed under his civil and military authority," he said. "Thus, Atatürk Pasha stepped into Samsun on May 19, 1919, in order to change the unfortunate fate of the Turkish nation."
He added that uncertainty remained at the time over whether the National Struggle planned in Istanbul could truly succeed once centered in Anatolia.
"Although the leadership of the National Struggle consisted of soldiers, the real subject of this movement was the Turkish nation itself," Çağlayan said. "The Turkish nation was exhausted. There had been seven to eight years of war, and the Turkish people had grown weary. The first place where it was tested whether the people still had the energy and courage to begin a new struggle was Samsun."
Highlighting Samsun’s significance in the independence movement, Çağlayan said the city convinced Atatürk that a national resistance movement centered in Anatolia could succeed.
"The most important role of Samsun in the National Struggle was convincing Mustafa Kemal Pasha that the idea of a national struggle centered in Anatolia could be realized and showing him that these ideas could succeed," he said. "The phrase 'the city that saved' is an expression Samsun truly deserves."
