Abstract:

Since the reports prepared during the Republic period were mostly prepared after the Sheikh Said and Ağrı rebellions, the topics of maintaining order and adopting Turkish culture were at the forefront. Van occupied an important place in the reports prepared by İsmet İnönü, Celal Bayar, Abdülhalik Renda, Abidin Özmen, Hasip Aytuna, Fevzi Kalfagil, Hasan Reşit Tankut and Cevat Dursunoğlu. While different equations and suggestions were included under the title of Van in the reports, the common point was to strengthen the social belonging in the region towards the dominant ideology with the headings of education, economy, culture, etc. With the enrichment of the arguments representing Turkishness, the people of the region would have a more harmonious integration with the system. The Turkish population resettled from Black Sea Surmene to Van in the form of a homogeneous nation-building constituted a model for the region. Although the emphasis on Turkishness in the region is included in almost all reports, a separate parenthesis was opened to Erciş because it is an ancient center of Turkishness. The reports focused on the issue of Turkish speaking rather than the Turkish population in the region. Hasan Reşit Tankut and Hasip Aytuna evaluated Van as one of the dominant centers where Turkish culture was adopted, while there was a hopelessness / anxiety in the reports of İsmet İnönü and Abdülhalik Renda regarding the dissemination / preservation of Turkish culture in Van. Bayar emphasized the opening of many businesses, including the Van Lake enterprise, in order to establish a healthy communication network with the people of the region and for the mental world of the single party understanding to find a response in the society. In Bayar's report, instead of the culture-language title, the economy title stood out.