Abstract:

With the establishment of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on April 23, 1920, a National Anthem (The Independence March) had to be written and composed as a requirement of establishing a state. The Ministry of Education of the period was assigned for this job. The war is still continuing on the front. The Great Offensive has not started yet. Despite all this, the sensitivity shown to the writing of the National Anthem can be understood from the reports of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. All discussions on the National Anthem in the Turkish Grand National Assembly revolve around sensitivity towards the emergence of a better text. Hamdullah Suphi Bey became the guide of the process by reading all the poems and making a preliminary evaluation, and then applying to Mehmet Akif Bey. The request of the MPs who appear to be oppositionists and object is for the establishment of a literary committee consisting of qualified people and their decision-making. On the other hand, there are also members of parliament who suggest that the poems be partially changed by the committee before they become an anthem. The poems in the competition, which was opened because the War of Independence had not yet been completed, try to create a text by emphasizing the spirit of independence, national resistance and the glory coming from history. Apart from Mehmet Akif's work, 724 poems participated in the competition. Among these works, 7 poems that passed the first elimination and came to the Turkish Grand National Assembly are recorded. Other texts could not be found.

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