125. Today in 1920s Turkey: 22 November 1923 (The Liberated Nation: Master of What?)

(Cover illustration by Ahmet Münif Bey, Kelebek or “Butterfly,” 22 November 1923, no. 33, page 1.)

Comments:
Published roughly a month after the declaration of the Republic (29 October 1923), this cartoon betrays a strong sense of uncertainty at a pivotal moment of change in Turkey’s history. Occupying the entirety of the cover page of this issue of the weekly magazine Kelebek, the cartoon features an imposing, stoic man of somewhat advanced age in the foreground. His bare chest exposed, the man gazes toward a distant village in the landscape. His weathered face appears concerned, worried, and uneasy.

The text located both above and below the image clarify the reason for his concerned demeanor. As a representation of the “nation” he conveyed the worries of the average, villager, laborer, or farmer in the aftermath of the War of Independence (1919-1922) which took a massive human and financial toll on the people of Anatolia. While the urban elite, literati, educated upper classes, and ruling class are all celebrating the founding of the new Republic idealistically touting the motto “the Nation is Sovereign” (Hakimiyet Milletindir) this man draws the reader’s attention to the real situation on the ground… How, exactly, would a change in regime actually benefit those who have to pick up the broken pieces of their lives in the war-torn territories of the rest of the country? Yes “freedom” from the slavery of the sultan is fantastic in theory and being one’s own master sounds great in rhetoric, but what is the reality of this new-found liberty?

And it is late November… winter is around the corner. With resources scarce, housing destroyed, and cold weather upon him, he has many real worries. None of which can be immediately resolved with a change in political systems. The artist Ahmet Münif is not alone in expressing the pressing issue of the “practical” functions of government over the “theoretical” musings over its name or form. Around this time, in the Autumn of 1923 the self-proclaimed “people’s gazette” (halk gazetesi) Karagöz also frequently published content urging the nation’s leaders to focus on establishing a functioning government for the sake of the people as soon as possible, asserting that the form of government should be seconardy to its ability to serve the people (see posts #23 and #30).

English:
(Above) The Nation Has Become the Master
(Below) — The country (God’s earth is endless) has become mine but I don’t have one upright tree to lean my back against, not one single roof to seek shelter under in the snow and winter…

Türkçe:
(Üstte) Millet Efendi Oldu
(Altta) —Memleket, arzullahi vasia, benim oldu ama; benim sırtımı dayayacak bir dikili ağacım, karda kışta sığınacak bir tek kurulu çatım yok…

(Entire cover page, Kelebek or “Butterfly,” 22 November 1923, no. 33, page 1.)