Abstract:

The events that took place in the first days of 1920 constitute an important process that cannot be ignored for the History of the National Struggle. As is known, during the last quarter of 1919, the Ottoman Parliament elections were held. These elections were won by the overwhelming majority of the Association for the Defense of the Rights of Anatolia and Rumelia. However, it is known that the Allies in the period of the elections carried the hope that a more harmonious political structure will be formed in the next period. The Allies were not immediately able to take decisions that determined the fate of the Ottoman State, protesting atrocities committed by soldiers in the occupation during this period. However, these protests are followed by changes in the number and intensity of the events relative to the time that the waves are emitted. The aim of this study is to emphasize the repercussions of D. Lloyd George’s statements about the future of Istanbul in the Ottoman political life by revealing the nature of the Sultanahmet meeting on January 13, 1920, chronologically different from the others. In this context, the speeches made during the meeting were emphasized. In the study, the sources of the period, “Vakit” and “Tasvir-i Efkâr”, together with Kemal Arıburnu’s “İstanbul Mitingleri” work was used. In this study, it was mentioned the importance of the protest meeting in Sultanahmet, the increase of the sensitivity of the Turkish public about Istanbul and the Straits, and the decision to leave Istanbul at Turks in the London Conference on 15 February 1920. 

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