Atatürk and the road to Ankara

Before the opening of the Grand National Assembly (TBMM) in Ankara on April 23, 1920, Mustafa Kemal Pasha held important meetings and organized congresses. One of these was the Amasya Circular dated June 22, 1919. This was followed by the Erzurum Congress (July 23 – August 7, 1919) and then the Sivas Congress (September 4 – 11, 1919). Atatürk continued his work in Sivas between September 2, 1919, and December 22, 1919. 

The first act of the Representative Committee (Heyet-i Temsiliye), chaired by Mustafa Kemal Pasha at the Sivas Congress, was to sever the connection between Anatolia and the capitulationist Istanbul Government, which was a collaborator of imperialism. The Istanbul Government would no longer be able to issue instructions to the military and civil authorities in Anatolia. These administrative units were now accountable to the national will in Sivas, not to the Palace. This situation is referred to in the history of the Republic as the period of "dual power." This is because there was the government in Istanbul on one side and the Representative Committee in Sivas on the other. The situation also fits Marx's definition; "Every war is at the same time a civil war". 

Developments soon evolved into an advanced stage when the Damat Ferit Pasha Government in Istanbul, unable to make its word heard in Anatolia, was forced to resign on October 2, 1919. The Ali Rıza Pasha Government, which was established immediately afterward, announced on October 4, 1919, that it recognized the Representative Committee elected in Sivas and the decisions of the congress. This stance by the newly formed government in Istanbul was both a great political success for Mustafa Kemal Pasha and a very important step taken in the direction of national will, national representation, national legitimacy, and national sovereignty. A short time later, the Ali Rıza Pasha Government in Istanbul took another step and wanted to meet with the Representative Committee. 

Following this move by Istanbul, a meeting was held between the two governments in Amasya. In the meeting held on October 20 – 22, 1919, the Istanbul Government was represented by Minister of the Navy Salih Hulusi Pasha; the Representative Committee was represented by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Rauf Orbay, and Bekir Sami Kunduh. A joint protocol was announced on October 22, 1919. Istanbul accepted Anatolia's theses and recognized them politically and legally. The imperialists realized that they could not control and direct the national movement in Anatolia by using Istanbul. It was also decided at the meetings in Amasya that the Chamber of Deputies (Meclisi Mebusan) would convene. 

The most difficult issue of the meetings was the holding of elections and the opening of the parliament. Where would the parliament meet after the elections were held? In occupied Istanbul? Or in Anatolia? Atatürk wanted it to convene in Anatolia. However, he could not convince even his closest colleagues on this matter. The majority said Istanbul. To resolve the issue, the leading commanders held a meeting with the members of the Representative Committee in Sivas. Ali Fuat Cebesoy and Kazım Karabekir also attended the meeting. In the end, it was decided that the parliament would convene in Istanbul. It was also decided where the Representative Committee would continue its work. Konya, Eskişehir, and Ankara came to the fore. An agreement was reached on Ankara due to factors such as its central location in the war, its position on the railway line, and the presence of an army corps in the city. 

Atatürk left Sivas on December 22, 1919, after staying for 108 days. He did not go via Yozgat. He reached Ankara on December 27, 1919, via the Kayseri-Hacıbektaş-Kırşehir route. Among those who welcomed Mustafa Kemal Pasha in Ankara were 20th Corps Commander Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Ankara Governor Yahya Galip Bey, the Mufti of Ankara and Head of the Ankara Society for the Defense of Rights Börekçizade Rifat Hoca, and the Seymens. The center of the Representative Committee was now Ankara.