May 19th: The rise of a nation

On the occasion of May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, Altınbaş University Common Courses Department faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kenan Özkan emphasized that this date is not just a holiday, but the spark of independence that burned in Anatolia grew into a great fire that engulfed the country. Stating that May 19, 1919 was the beginning of the Turkish nation's united resistance against imperialism, Özkan defined Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's departure to Samsun as a historical turning point in the nation's determination to take its destiny into its own hands.

An occupied homeland, a hopeless people

Following the Armistice of Mudros, the occupation of Anatolian lands by the Entente Powers began, and especially the occupation of Izmir by the Greek army on May 15, 1919 caused a deep trauma among the people.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan summarizes this period as follows: “People all over the country were in despair. In an environment where the Ottoman Empire had effectively ended and the central authority had disappeared, a new path was opened when Mustafa Kemal Pasha set foot in Samsun.”

The road to Samsun was not only a military mission, but also the beginning of the birth of a new state. The greatest ideal Mustafa Kemal Pasha had in mind when he left Istanbul was that the Turkish nation should decide its own future, that is, a fully independent Türkiye. This idea was an example of great courage and vision in the conditions of that day. 

“Either independence or death!”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan stated that the phrase “Either independence or death!” expressed by Atatürk in the Nutuk is not just a slogan, but the expression of the will of a whole nation to exist. “When Mustafa Kemal Pasha set out for Anatolia, he had neither an army nor a state power. But he had a nation he believed in. This nation united around its leader and started to rebuild its occupied homeland,” he said.

The steps Mustafa Kemal took from Samsun to Amasya, Erzurum and Sivas were vital steps towards organizing the people, making national will dominant and spreading the idea that liberation could only be achieved through the nation's own power. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan said, “He trusted the will of the nation, not the will of the sultan. The resistance movement growing in Anatolia against the surrenderist understanding in Istanbul soon turned into a war of liberation.” 

It is no coincidence that May 19 is entrusted to the youth

Stating that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's dedication of May 19 to the youth is not only about the historical meaning of this date but also about the future vision, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan said, “May 19 is not only a commemoration of the past but also a call for the construction of the future. In his address to the youth, Atatürk clearly expressed the conditions under which this struggle was fought and the responsibility of the youth.”

According to Özkan, the fire of independence that burned in Samsun on May 19, 1919 was not only the beginning of a liberation movement, but also the moment when the foundations of a modern republic were laid. “This date is one of the most powerful symbols of national sovereignty, popular will and freedom,” he added. 

The awakening of a nation

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan emphasizes that May 19 was also a turning point that united local resistance in Anatolia and transformed it into a central liberation movement. The founding of the Law Societies of Mudafaa-i Hukuk were spontaneous defense initiatives of the people, but their unification under the umbrella of a national struggle was made possible by the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.

“May 19 is the starting point of a nation taking the right to self-determination into its own hands. Today, while commemorating this date, we must act with a consciousness that will shape our future,” Özkan said, adding that young people should act with a consciousness in line with the requirements of the age without forgetting their historical responsibilities.

May 19 is not just a public holiday or a celebration of youth; it is the beginning of the honorable struggle of a people against occupation, betrayal and despair. In the words of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan, “This history should not remain in history books. We must tell the younger generations at every opportunity how this struggle was fought, with what sacrifices it was won and what price was paid.”