İran Basınında Türk-Yunan Savaşı: Büyük Taarruz

Abstract

We are commemorating the centennial of the Great Offensive, which freed Anatolian Turks from slavery, recreated them, and equipped them with national consciousness and the determination to be one of the more powerful states in the world arena. Starting from the idea that this blessed offensive has served as a beacon of hope for all oppressed states desperate in the face of European imperialism, this study examines the coverage of the offensive in the neighboring Iranian state. In the first quarter of the 20th century, Iran was subjected to political and military intervention by Russia and England as a result of colonial competition among European states. Therefore, the Iranian government was in a difficult position. The country was governed by Reza Shah Pahlavi, acting in an unofficial capacity. Because the two countries shared a border as well as a religion and Iran had Turkish speaking citizens, and more importantly, because Reza Shah Pahlavi wanted to create an independent and modern country, he developed close ties with Turkey. As a result, the Iranian press paid great attention to the Turkish War of Independence and considered the Turkish victory a victory for Islam. The newspapers Fikr-i Âzâd, Şafak-ı Sorh, İkdâm, Tufan and Iran were examined as a representative sample of the Iranian press as they ran the majority of the articles. After translating the articles on the Great Offensive into Turkish, the data collected were classified. Most of the data were recorded after verification using primary and secondary sources. The Iranian press described the Greek presence in Anatolia as an “occupation,” and exalted the Turkish advance that started on August 26th by referring to it as a “conquest.” They thought that the great losses suffered by the Greeks and their irregular retreat in the face of the Turkish army were well-deserved. In short, the Iranian government viewed Turkey and Iran as sharing the same fate, and attributed great significance to the Turkish War of Independence.