22. Today in 1920s Turkey: 1 October 1923 (Global Dissatisfaction with Monarchies)
English:
In response to the condition of the civilized [townsman].
The World: I am fed up with this crown!
Türkçe:
Vaziyet-i Hazıra Dolayısıyla
Dünya: Artık bu taçtan usandım!!..
Comments:
This simple yet striking cartoon is at the center of the cover page of the 1 October 1923 issue of the journal Zümrüd-ü Anka. The abbreviated imagery of this particular cartoon is accessible to a wide audience as the symbols employed are fairly universal ones. The globe, crown, and emphatic stomp require little explanation. This “globally minded” man represents the civilized urbanite who rejects the paternalistic, self-interested monarchical orders of the past by destroying and desecrating their most visible (and most lavishly ornamented) symbol of authority and oppression.
The cartoon’s commentary is relevant to both domestic and international trends and current concerns. In the aftermath of the Great War (World War I) many monarchies collapsed including the Ottoman sultanate which was abolished on 1 November 1922 by the Turkish Grand National Assembly Government. Other longstanding monarchical forms of government that were terminated during and after the war were those of the Russian, German, and Austro-Hungarian administrations. The age of kingdoms and omnipotent rulers who drag their subjects into trivial wars is coming to an end according to this cartoon which credits this turning tide to the efforts of informed citizens (worldwide) who have realized their own capacity to rule themselves.
This cartoon was published at a time when the new Turkish state’s form of government had not yet been determined and thus this subject was a hotly debated topic at this moment ninety-three years ago. The state was still being run by the same temporary government established in Ankara in 1920 for the sake of organizing the Independence War (1919–1922). With the war won and the Ottoman dynasty abolished, now a new, permanent form of government needed to be agreed upon. Indeed, the government would be declared a Republic by the end of October of 1923.
Originally published at https://steemit.com on October 1, 2016.
