Çanakkale Şahitleri

Çanakkale Şahitleri

A t the time of the Gallipoli War, the Ottoman statesmen took the most important historian, writer and cartoonist cadre of the Ottoman Empire to the battlefield. Their purpose is to explain this enormous struggle to the public, to convey the ongoing mythical struggle to the next generations and to make “war propaganda” during the war. Thus, the pen community was expected to see the event vividly and write articles most elegantly. The writers gave what was expected, and the work you got came up.

For the first time in Turkish history, Yeni Mecmua magazine published a Çanakkale Victory commemoration issue.

The war had ended in January 1916. The war ended in January 1916. However, due to financial difficulties, this work, which can only be published in 1917, is a comprehensive study written by the intellectuals of the time in order to show, what can be done, to the society in unity and solidarity. The intellectuals of the era were taken to the Çanakkale battlefield by the state authorities, to transfer the spirit of Great Dardanelles Struggle to the new generations and the nation. The intellectuals who visited the battlefields of Çanakkale and talked with the soldiers, they wrote articles and poems describing what they experienced and saw when they returned to Istanbul.

In this respect, the work we present is also exciting in terms of showing the spirit of the period and being written at that time. At the same time, it has special importance in terms of being the first commemorative work about the Çanakkale Victory.

As for the content and importance of this work, it is possible to say the following; war is a work of psychology, and man is a psychological being. High morale brings high success, perhaps in this respect, the work did not show great influence during the First World War. However, it played an important role in Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's recognition and adoption as a leader in the Turkish War of Independence. When Mustafa Kemal invited the Turkish Nation to a struggle for his death, to the War of Independence, the nation was tired of war for years and most importantly, he was defeated and lost his morale and motivation. In this respect, it is essential that the leader, who will fight to the death, be well known to the nation. This work describes in detail the place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the battles of the Dardanelles. This narrative contributed greatly to the acceptance of Atatürk as a leader, especially by the Turkish intellectuals. This will also be understood when historical cases are examined in a sequence of logic.