The spark of the National Struggle, a holiday gifted to the youth! The spirit of May 19...

Our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said of May 19, "It is my birthday," and gifted it to the youth. Since 1938, May 19 has been celebrated as an official holiday.

NAME CHANGED IN 1981

With the law enacted on June 20, 1938, this holiday was named "Youth and Sports Day" and was celebrated under this name until 1980. However, with the regulation in 1981, it was renamed 'Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day'.

OUR HOMELAND WAS UNDER OCCUPATION

After the Armistice of Mudros was signed on October 30, 1918, the Greeks occupied İzmir, the French occupied Adana, and the Italians occupied Antalya and Konya. British soldiers landed in Urfa, Maraş, Antep, Merzifon, and Samsun, and the British Navy anchored off the coast of Istanbul on November 13, 1918.

GREAT LEADER MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK TOOK ACTION

Mustafa Kemal, who spent years on the front lines to protect the homeland and returned to Istanbul from the Yıldırım Army Group Command on November 3, 1918, took action to save the country. Greeks in and around Samsun, with the support of the British who landed troops in Samsun on March 17-18, 1919, wanted to open the region to occupation by the Allied Powers as per Article 7 of the Armistice of Mudros by carrying out gang raids and causing chaos.

Following these developments, when the Turkish people began to organize to defend themselves and protect their lives and property, the British High Commission and the Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Army, concerned by this situation, issued a note to the Istanbul Government on April 21, 1919, demanding that the tension in the region be calmed and that the so-called attacks against the Greeks be prevented.

DEPARTED FROM ISTANBUL ON THE BANDIRMA FERRY

Mustafa Kemal, who was appointed as the 9th Army Inspector to ensure order in the region, set off from Istanbul on the Bandırma Ferry the day after May 15, 1919, when İzmir was occupied. Mustafa Kemal and his companions took their first steps in Samsun on May 19 at the Reji Pier. During the First World War, all the city's piers had been bombed by the Russians, but only the Reji (Tobacco Monopoly) Pier, which belonged to the French, remained intact. The French were producing cigarettes in a factory established in Samsun at that time. For this reason, the pier was also known as the "Tobacco Pier."

SAMSUN, AMASYA...

Upon his arrival in Samsun causing unease among the British, Mustafa Kemal moved to Havza on May 25 after staying in Samsun for 6 days.

FIRST RALLY IN HAVZA: THE OCCUPATION OF İZMİR WAS PROTESTED

The first rally was held in Havza, the second stop on Mustafa Kemal Pasha's path to the country's liberation. At the rally held under the instruction of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the occupation of İzmir was protested. Mustafa Kemal, whose next stop would be Amasya, carried out important work for the National Struggle in Havza for 18 days.

Upon being removed from his post as 9th Army Inspector due to pressure from the British, who were aware of the activity in Havza, Mustafa Kemal bid farewell to the people of Havza as a civilian.

THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

The torch of liberation lit by Gazi Mustafa Kemal and his comrades-in-arms upon landing in Samsun was subsequently lit in Amasya, Erzurum, and Sivas, spreading throughout the entire country. The Republic of Turkey, founded on October 29, 1923, at the end of the National Struggle, is entering its 102nd year this year.

ONE-QUARTER OF THE POPULATION LOST IN A 4-YEAR WAR

Prof. Dr. Kaya Tuncer Çağlayan, Director of the Ondokuz Mayıs University Atatürk's Principles and History of Revolution Research and Application Center, stated that Mustafa Kemal Pasha stepped into Anatolia for the independence and future of the Turkish nation. Stating that Mustafa Kemal Pasha showed courage during a period of searching for ways to save the future of the Turkish nation, Çağlayan said, "Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his friends took their honorable step into our city of Samsun to launch a great struggle. There was a picture of a country that had surrendered during the National Struggle period. A great war lasted 4 years, and in this 4-year war, we lost almost a quarter of our population. We gave martyrs; nearly 1 million of our soldiers became martyrs and veterans," he said.

Expressing that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk convinced the Turkish nation to struggle by landing in Samsun, Çağlayan said, "Mustafa Kemal Pasha made his first attempts to convince the public especially in Samsun, that is, he tested the pulse of the people. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who carried out great revolutions, realized these revolutions by measuring whether they would hold or whether society would accept them, and by measuring the readiness of our nation, and in this context, Samsun was a first application for him," he said.

"HE AWAKENED THE NATION"

Emphasizing that Atatürk had the Society for the Defense of Rights (Müdafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti) established during this process, Çağlayan stated that Atatürk carried out a very important and meticulous work program to ensure that the public was involved in the struggle. Prof. Dr. Kaya Tuncer Çağlayan stated that Mustafa Kemal Pasha started the National Struggle by awakening and raising the consciousness of the nation. Emphasizing the importance of the spirit of the National Struggle, Çağlayan noted the following:

"The most important thing to say about the spirit of the National Struggle is the protection of our country's independence. Every Turk must be extremely vigilant regarding the independence of the Turkish nation and state. At the same time, one must be sensitive about being in solidarity for the bright future of our country. One must also be productive. If nations do not produce, if they do not work, they are doomed to perish. Love for Atatürk, love for his comrades-in-arms, respect for our martyrs and veterans, all these are values that must naturally be at the core of the spirit of the National Struggle."