Mısır’ın Bağımsızlık Mücadelesi ve Türkiye ile İlişkileri (1919-1937)

Abstract

This study attempts to explain the impasses facing Egypt in its struggle for independence by revealing the unique understanding of nationalism adopted by Egyptian intellectuals and political circles emanating from the resistance that the British occupation created in the country. While doing this, it was thought that examining and understanding the discussions within main newspapers and magazines in the Egyptian press about the victory of the Turks with whom they lived under the same administrative structure for many years, in the War of Independence, the perception of the Turkish revolution and modality of the new Turkish state, would provide a more holistic perspective in understanding the relations between the two countries at that time. At the end of the study, it has become clear that the relations between the two countries cannot be explained independently of the modernization practices they have experienced. While the Republic of Turkey was established as an independent state following the fall of the Ottoman Empire after the WWI, the cadres who would follow Western models acquired an opportunity to carry out mental and institutional transformations by holding the power of government in their hands. On the other hand, nationalist cadres which lit the torch of independence had to share the power in the political realm with the King and the British representative. Radical reform proposals which were put forward by intellectual and political circles as part of modernization efforts received only limited support and faded away over time. In the first part of the study, political movements in Egypt, emphasizes on pre-Islamic ancient Egyptian civilization in search of a new national consciousness and the relations between Egyptian and Arabic nationalism are discussed. In the second part, Egyptian attempts towards independence after WWI are examined. The independence demands of Egyptians are reviewed by delving into the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 where the hopes for independence flourished. This section covers the limited independence granted by the British and the position that the Wafd assumed in Egyptian politics and the reflections of the policies it pursued until the Alliance Agreement of 1936. In the third section, Egypt-Turkey relations during the Atatürk period are examined until the Friendship Agreement signed with Egypt in 1936. The dynamics that determined the relations between the two countries are explained in the context of the National Struggle period and the Treaty of Lausanne. In addition, how the Turkish Revolution was evaluated in the Egyptian press and its impact on relations and how the press was used as a propaganda tool are explained. In the final part, the diplomatic relations between the two countries are discussed in the context of standoffs created by the disputed issues and factors bringing these countries together.