Sivas Congress

The Sivas Congress was one of the most significant steps taken in our nation’s journey to independence. Have you ever considered where and how decisions that determine a nation’s fate are made? On 4 September 1919, delegates from across Türkiye gathered in Sivas to liberate their occupied homeland.

At the time, Sivas was one of the safest places in Anatolia. The city’s roads were easy to control, and it was far from foreign occupation forces. Mustafa Kemal Paşa therefore decided to formulate the liberation plan there. The people of Sivas were also deeply eager to work for independence.

^{Visual representing the people of Sivas. (Generated by artificial intelligence)}

Delegates from all corners of the country declared to the world that the homeland was a single, indivisible whole. All resistance groups operating in different regions were united under the name “Society for the Defense of the Rights of Anatolia and Rumelia.” Thus, the entire nation began to act together toward a single goal.

A mandate means a country coming under the administration of another powerful state and seeking its assistance. Some individuals at the congress advocated seeking help from foreign powers. However, most delegates opposed this idea. It was decided that the Turkish nation could achieve independence through its own strength.

^{Visual representing the Sivas Congress (Generated by artificial intelligence)}

During the congress, there was a courageous young man named Hikmet, a medical student. He stood up and shouted, “We cannot accept a mandate; our slogan is independence!” Mustafa Kemal Paşa was deeply moved by these words. Turning to him, he declared, “Our only slogan is: Either independence or death!”

At the conclusion of the congress, a ten-point declaration was issued. This declaration emphasized that the nation would determine its own future. Moreover, these decisions laid the foundation for the future parliament. The resolutions adopted in Sivas illuminated the path to Türkiye’s independence.

^{Visual representing the Sivas Congress (Generated by artificial intelligence)}