Abstract:

From the proclamation of the Republic until 1930, the legislation and institutional structure in the field of local governments remained in force as taken over from the Ottoman Empire. With the Municipality Law No. 1580, which was put into effect in 1930, a new phase was started with broad authority and many rights and duties granted to local governments for the development and restoration of cities. One of the important activities in the field of municipality in the Early Republican Period is the Congress of Municipalities. The congress, which was held between 24-28 October 1935, was a first. The congress was held in Ankara with the mayoral representation of all municipalities with a budget of 20,000 or more. In the Municipalities Congress convened under the leadership of Şükrü Kaya, the Minister of Interior at the time, commissions consisting of mayors were formed under the “headings of zoning”, “cost of living” and “incomes” in order to determine the principles in the activities of the municipalities and to ensure their development. The commissions presented a report to the congress with the negotiations and collective work, and gave an advisory opinion to be implemented for all cities. In the work of the commissions, the titles on the development of municipalism in the Republic period are important in terms of showing the priorities of the period. In this study, its position in the context of congress and Turkish municipality, which was held for the first time in the history of the Republic, was examined by taking into account academic research, periodicals of the period and official statements.

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