When M. Gunaydin proposed, two years ago, the idea of digging in "The New York Times" and picking up the articles related to Ottoman Empire and Turkey from 1850 through 1938, I got excited and thought that this would be a contribution to those who are interested in Turkey's recent history and I would learn more about the end of the Ottoman Empire and the young Turkish Republic from an American Newspaper's perspective, The New York Times.
I believe that the time period we studied covers the end of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the Turkish Republic. The dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire began in 1829 when the Empire was forced to acknowledge the independence of Greece. Then one after another, all the European provinces broke away. This great Empire, one of the most powerful ever established and left-thrace in the history of the world, had nothing but Istanbul and a small piece of eastern Thrace in 1914. The Treaty of Sevres was signed on April 20, 1920. The victors of World War I treated Ottoman Empire as if it were a colony. Led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, our nation of great past reconquered much of the lost territory and in Oct. 29, 1923, new Turkish Republic was established. Our study ends up by the death of Ataturk in 1938, whose enthusiasm and determination changed the young Turkish Republic from an oriental government into a modern, democratic one.
Two years later, we are about to make this dream come true by preparing this home page. We decided to put only the most interesting articles in this page. Selection of the articles from 1901 through 1938 belongs to me while from 1851 through 1900 belongs to M. Gunaydin.
I expect no credit out of this study and firmly believe that knowing the history of our nation's great past and remembering the great pain and difficulties that our nation has gone through for the establishment of Turkish Republic will make us, young generation, take more and more responsibility on our shoulders for the future of our country.
Finally, I hope you enjoy this page .
Bulent Akbas
August 7, 1996