Turkish War of Independence — war fought between the Turkish National Movement and the Entente and their proxies
The Turkish War of Independence dismantled the Ottoman Empire, established the Republic of Turkey, and reshaped Anatolia's political and demographic order.
Key Facts
- War duration
- 15 May 1919 – 24 July 1923
- Armistice signed
- Mudanya Armistice, 11 October 1922
- Final treaty
- Treaty of Lausanne, 1923
- Republic declared
- 29 October 1923
- Muslim population share
- Rose from 80% to 98% of Anatolia
- Key nationalist leader
- Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Ottoman defeat in World War I, Allied powers occupied and partitioned Ottoman territory under the Sykes–Picot Agreement and later the Treaty of Sèvres. The Allied-sanctioned Greek occupation of Smyrna in 1919 inflamed sectarian tensions and prompted Ottoman commanders to defy disarmament orders. Mustafa Kemal, dispatched to restore order, instead organized a nationalist resistance government in Ankara that rejected Allied-imposed terms as illegitimate.
The Turkish National Movement fought a multi-front war from 1919 to 1923 against Greek, French, Armenian, and other Allied-backed forces. Key campaigns included the Greco-Turkish War on the Western Front, culminating in the Great Offensive and the recapture of İzmir, as well as the Treaty of Kars following campaigns against Armenia. The Mudanya Armistice of 11 October 1922 ended major hostilities, with the Grand National Assembly recognized as Turkey's legitimate government.
The war resulted in the abolition of the Ottoman sultanate and caliphate, the expulsion of Allied forces from Anatolia and eastern Thrace, and the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey on 29 October 1923. The Treaty of Lausanne formalized these gains. A compulsory population exchange between Greece and Turkey followed, and Atatürk's secular nationalist reforms transformed the new state. The historic Christian presence in Anatolia was largely eliminated through massacres, deportations, and ethnic cleansing.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk), İsmet Pasha (İnönü).
Side B
4 belligerents