In his
work, “The Roots of Turkish Nationalism; Yusuf Akçura” French Turcologist F. Georgeon
examines the phases of Turkish nationalistic movements and draws attention to the
important role of a group of Turks, who migrated to Turkey under the Russian oppression,
among them are Yusuf Akçura, Ahmed Agaoglu, Mehmed Emin Resulzâde, Abdurresid İbrahim,
Hüseyinzâde Ali, Ayaz Ishakî, Halim Sabit. Turkish Nationalism became the most
effective movement of Ottoman life of thought and had a great role to prepare the
bacground for establishing the new Turkish state, by help of those respectable scientists
and men of thought such as; Mizancı Mehmet Murad from the earlier generation and Akdes
Nimet Kurat, Resit Rahmeti Arat, Sadri Maksudî Arsal, A. Zeki Velidî Togan, Ahmed
Caferoglu from the successor generatiorn. It was this group in
attempting a publication in order to organize and direct Turkish nationalistic thought
life. It is known that Yusuf Akcura and ahmet Agaoglu were involved in the preparation of
“Turk Land” magazine publication of which target reader group was all Turkish World.
Even Enver Pasha, whose ancestors also migrated to Ottoman Land under the oppression of
Russia, supported the publication of this magazine. In 1915 volume of “ Türk Yurdu” (“Turk
Land”) magazine, it was told that Enver Pasha gave valuable and important help in
publication of this magazine. Apart from its publication idea, it was Huseyinogullari, a
famous family in Orenburg city in Khazan region, who gave financial support as a
publication capital. With the financial support of Ahmed Gani Huseyinoglu and Mahmud Beg
Hüseyinoglu brothers, Türk Yurdu magazine became the most powerful magazine of Turkish
nationalistic movement with its high quality writers and consistent publication policy and
its famous spread out of Turkish borders.
Making serious effort for spreading Turkish
nationalistic movement in Anatolia, these immigrant intellectuals also made some actions
for their brothers under Russian sovereignty. In 1915, they established “the Committee
for Saving the Rights of Turk & Tatar Muslims under Russian Sovereignty”; in short
“Turk-Tatar Committee”. Preparing an acting plan similar to today’s human rights
committees, this establishment included some famous immigrant personalities of that time
such as Yusuf Akcura, Abdurresid Ibrahim, Huseyinzâde Ali, Ahmed Agaoglu, Mukimeddin
Begcen, Celebizâde Mehmed Esad and so on.
In this way, the works and efforts of these
intellectuals, whose roots came from this migration movement in the 19th century, changed
the Ottoman society structure and helped to build a new “Turkish Identity”, which
effected Turkish life of thought throughout 20th century, and will also effect our future
apperantly. It can also be seen that this formation which appeared with the population
movement, entered a new phase after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.
In short, the successful entegration of Muslim
immigrants with the dissolving Ottoman Muslim society changed the social structure wholly
in Ottoman land and thus prepared a background that would help the birth of a
nationalistic country. Republic of Turkey is a good example for that historical formations
can only be permanent when they depend o a certain social background, and in some ways it
is the outcome of a long term strategy and social earthquakes in 19th century.
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