Reha Oğuz Türkkan and Pan-Turkist movement in Turkey (1938-1947)

Abstract

Atatürk İlkeleri ve İnkılap Tarihi Enstitüsü'nde Yüksek Lisans derecesi için Murat Kayatarafından Ağustos 2005'te teslim edilen tezin kısa özeti.Başlık: Reha Oğuz Türkkan ve Türkiye'deki Pan-Turkist Hareket (1938-1947)Bu tez, İkinci Dünya Savaşı sırasında Türkiye'de yeniden canlanan Pan-Turkistideolojinin en önemli temsilcilerinden biri olan Reha Oğuz Türkkan'ın o dönemdekisöylemini ve eylemlerini inceleme amacındadır. 19. Yüzyılın sonlarında Rusİmparatorluğu sınırları içerisinde yaşayan Türki halklar arasında filizlenmeye başlayan veBalkanlardan Orta Asya'ya bütün Türki halklar arasında siyasi ve kültürel bir birliğinkurulmasını hedefleyen Pan-Turkist ideoloji Yusuf Akçura, Ahmet Ağaoğlu veHüseyinzade Ali gibi Türki entelektüeller tarafından Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nataşınmıştır. Pan-Turkizm, ?Türk Ocakları? gibi Türkçü derneklerin faaliyetleri, BalkanSavaşı'nın Osmanlı-Türk toplumu üzerinde yaratmış olduğu ciddi travma ve Ziya Gökalp,Ömer Seyfettin, Moiz Kohen ve Mehmet Emin Yurdakul gibi Osmanlı-Türkentelektüellerinin katkıları sayesinde ciddi bir ideoloji haline gelmiş ve o dönemde iktidarpartisi olan İttihat ve Terakki'nin bazı önde gelen üyeleri de dahil İmparatorluk içindebirçok taraftar kazanmıştır. Fakat, Pan-Turkizm, Türkiye Cumhuriyetinin kurulmasındansonra aynı ortamı bulamamış ve iktidarı elinde bulunduran Kemalist rejim tarafından açıkbir şekilde reddedilmiştir. Bu dönemde, Pan-Türkist ideolojiyi Zeki Velidi Togan ve NihalAtsız gibi isimler canlı tutmaya çalışsa da, Pan-Turkist ideoloji önemli bir oranda güçkaybetmiş bu durum İkinci Dünya Savaşı'na kadar devam etmiştir. Savaşın başlamasıylabirlikte, Reha Oğuz Türkkan'ın liderliğini yaptığı yeni bir jenerasyon tarafından yenidencanlandırılan Pan-Turkist ideolojiye açık bir şekilde ırkçı, anti-komunist ve militarist birsöylem de eşlik etmiştir ve bu durum savaşın sonuna kadar devam etmiştir. İkinci DünyaSavaşı'nın ülkede yarattığı yeni siyasi atmosfere ek olarak, paradoksal bir şekilde, resmiolarak Pan-Turkismi reddeden Kemalist rejimin kendisi, yeni bir milli bilinç ve Türkkimliği yaratmak amacıyla kullandığı, Orta Asya'yı Türklerin ana vatanı olarak gösterenve Türkleri bir ırk olarak yücelten ?Türk Tarih Tezi? ve ?Güneş-Dil Teorisi? gibi sözdebilimsel teorilerle 1930'lu yıllarda eğitilen genç nesil arasında Pan-Turkist ideolojininyeniden canlanmasında önemli bir rol oynamıştır.ivACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFirst of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor,Assist. Prof. Ahmet Kuyaş, for his valuable assistance, comments and encouragementduring the writing of this thesis, which would not have been completed without hisconstant support. I would also like to thank to Prof. Dr. Şevket Pamuk and Assoc. Prof.Asım Karaömerlioğlu not only for their guidance in their courses, which I attended duringmy first year at the Atatürk Institute, but also for their presence in my jury, which honoredme.I am also indebted to Asst. Prof. Cengiz Kırlı, for his patience, in allowing to delayhis course. I am also grateful to all of my friends at the Atatürk Institute, in particular,İnanç Özekmekçi, Murat (Rober) Koptaş, Neslişah Başaran and Seçil Yılmaz for theirinvaluable company and spiritual support that helped me complete the thesis. In addition,I am also thankful to Kathryn Kranzler who edited my thesis with great patient andattention.Finally, I would like to thank my family, my sisters Çiğdem and, especially,Solmaz, who made the life enjoyable and easier for me during the completion of thethesis; my mother Aynur, my brother Doğan; and my father Necati for their constant loveand support.vTO MY FATHERNECATİ KAYAviCONTENTSCHAPTERI. INTRODUCTION: THE EMERGENCE OF PAN-TURKISM IN TURKEYâ¦â¦.â¦â¦1II. PAN-TURKISM IN THE REBUBLICAN ERAâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦31The Turkish History Thesis and Pan-Turkismâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.â¦41Emphasis on the Concept of Raceâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦...47Turkic Emigrants' contribution to Pan-Turkismâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..52Nihal Atsız and the Pan-Turkist Movementâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦55III. REHA OĞUZ TÜRKKAN AND PAN-TURKİST MOVEMETâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..65Reha Oğuz Türkkan and Pan-Turkismâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦68Ergenekonâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦71Bozkurtâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.75The Rivalry Between Nihal Atsız and Reha Oğuz Türkkanâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦84Gök-Börüâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.89The Main Tenets of Reha Oğuz Türkkan's Discourse between 1936 and 1944â¦â¦â¦.98IV. THE DEATH OF THE GREY WOLF: THE CASE OF RACİSM-TURANİSMâ¦111The Open Letters by Nihal Atsızâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦...111The Defamation Case Between Sabahattin Ali and Nihal Atsızâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦116Towards the Case of Racism-Turanismâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.120The Case of Racism-Turanismâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦...125Reha Oğuz Türkkan after the Case of Racism Turanismâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..133V. CONCLUSIONâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦137BIBLIOGRAPHYâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.142viiPREFACEThis thesis, which consists of five chapters, examines the life and discourse ofReha Oğuz Türkkan, who was one of the most active figures of Pan-Turkist movement,which revived during the Second World War in Turkey again. Chapter One deals with theemergence of Pan-Turkism in Turkey with a special emphasis on Yusuf Akçura, the mainrepresentative of Pan-Turkism in the Ottoman period, and Ziya Gökalp, the main figurewho popularized Pan-Turkism in the Empire after the Balkan War, which created a fertileground for the spread of Pan-Turkist ideology. The chapter focuses also on the decline ofPan-Turkism in the First World War and afterwards.Chapter Two analyzes Pan-Turkism in the Republican era. In this part, first, theKemalist regime's attitude towards Pan-Turkism is examined on the basis of the Turkish-Soviet relations and the consolidation of the new regime in the country. Then, the Kemalitregime's attempts to create a new Turkish identity, based on secular values such as theTurkish History Thesis, the Sun-Language Theory together with the regime's strongemphasis on the concept of race and their influence on Pan-Turkism will be discussed.Finally, a special emphasis is given to Nihal Atsız and a small group of Turkic emigrantsfrom the Soviet Union, mainly Zeki Velidi Togan, since they were the main individualswho tried to keep Pan-Turkist ideology alive in that period.Chapter Three concentrates on Reha Oğuz Türkkan. In this chapter, in addition tothe main reasons for the rise of Pan-Turkism, Türkkan's activities related to Pan-Turkismand the main tenets of his discourse between 1938 and 1944 will be analyzed.viiiChapter Four looks at the trial of Racism-Turanism, during which all of theprominent Pan-Turkists of the time, such as Türkkan, Togan and Atsız were tried in acourt of law mainly for establishing secret organizations in order to overthrow thegovernment and for spreading propaganda about racism and Turanism between May 1944and Marc 1947. In addition, the change in Türkkan's discourse after the case will beexamined. Finally, in Chapter Five, the conclusion, the major findings of the thesis arediscussed.Focusing on Reha Oğuz Türkkan, this thesis seeks to contribute to the discussionabout the rise of Pan-Turkist movement in Turkey during the Second World War. For thefulfillment of this purpose, it draws on various sources including newspapers of the time,journals published by Pan-Turkist figures, memories and interviews.ix

REHA OĞUZ TÜRKKAN AND PAN-TURKIST MOVEMENTIN TURKEY (1938-1947)byMurat KayaSubmitted toThe Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish Historyin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree ofMaster of ArtsBoğaziçi University2005i?Reha Oğuz Türkkan and Pan-Turkist Movement in Turkey (1938-1947)? a thesisprepared by Murat Kaya in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master ofArts degree at the Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History.This thesis has been accepted and approved by:Asst. Prof. Ahmet Kuyaş(Thesis Advisor)Prof. Dr. Şevket PamukAssoc. Prof. Asım KaraömerlioğluiiAn abstract of the Thesis of Murat Kaya for the degree of Master of Arts from the AtatürkInstitute for Modern Turkish History to be taken August 2005.Title: Reha Oğuz Türkkan and Pan-Turkist Movement in Turkey (1938-1947)This thesis aims to examine the discourse and activities of Reha Oğuz Türkkan, a leadingrepresentative of the Pan-Turkist revival during the Second World War in Turkey. ThePan-Turkist ideology, which began to develop among the Turkic peoples living within theborders of the Russian Empire at the end of the nineteenth century and targeted toestablish a political and cultural unity among the all Turkic peoples from the Balkans toCentral Asia, was carried to the Ottoman Empire by the Turkic intellectuals such as YusufAkçura, Ahmet Ağaoğlu ve Hüseyinzade Ali. Pan-Turkism, through the activities of theTurkist associations like the ?Turkish Hearths?, the serious trauma that the Balkan Warcreated in the Ottoman-Turkish society and the contributions of the Ottoman-Turkishintellectuals such as Ziya Gökalp, Ömer Seyfettin, Moiz Kohen and Mehmet EminYurdakul, became a serious ideology and gained numerous supporters, including some ofthe leading members of the Committee and Union and Progress, which was the rulingparty at the time. However, Pan-Turkism was not able to maintain its popularity after thefoundation of the Turkish Republic and was rejected clearly by the Kemalist regime. Inthis period, although Zeki Velidi Togan and Nihal Atsız tried to keep Pan-Turkistideology vivid, it lost a considerable momentum. Begin with the war; a clearly racist anti-Communist and militarist discourse accompanied Pan-Turkism, which was revived againby a new generation the leader of which was Reha Oğuz Türkkan and this continued untilthe end of the war. In addition to the new political athmosphere in the country, created bythe Second World War, paradoxically, the Kemalist regime itself, which rejected Pan-Turkism officially, played an important role in the revival of Pan-Turkist ideology amongthe young generation which had been taught in the thirties the pseudo scientific theorieslike ?The Turkish History Thesis? and ?The Sun-Language Theory?, which exalted Turksas race and showed Central Asia as the motherland of Turks, used to create a new nationalconsciousness and Turkish identity by the regime.iii