An Analysis Of Turkish Foreign Policy During The Second World War Through The Anniversaries Of The 1939 Turkish-British-French Alliance

Abstract

Anniversaries can offer valuable insights into the emotional states, worldviews, and approaches of states, societies, and individuals toward various issues. The commemoration and celebration of certain days do not merely reflect a desire to remember the past; they also illuminate a country’s social, cultural, and political attitudes. As such, anniversaries play a crucial role in understanding both the past and the present. This study focuses on the anniversaries of the Tripartite Treaty —the TurkishBritish-French Mutual Assistance Agreement signed on October 19, 1939—during World War II.

World War II represents one of the most significant challenges in the history of Türkiye’s foreign policy, if not the most significant. The young Türkiye signed a mutual assistance agreement with the warring parties, the United Kingdom and France, just 39 days after the war began. Through this alliance, Türkiye initially took a clear stance at the onset of the war. However, unexpected developments in the war’s first year forced Türkiye to reassess its position. Consequently, perspectives on the Tripartite Treaty began to shift, both among Türkiye’s state officials and the public, particularly in the press. The changing course of the war in subsequent years also led to a reassessment of the alliance.

The question of how the Turkish press approached this alliance amid the changing course of the war is particularly significant. The extent to which the alliance was celebrated, ignored, or otherwise represented in the press provides key insights into Turkish foreign policy during the war. In a single-party regime where the state and the press were closely intertwined, the press functioned not only as a communication tool but also as the voice of the government and even a propaganda tool. Therefore, analysing the press also offers a window into the government’s stance on this issue. In this study, news articles and editorials from leading newspapers published on the anniversaries of the Tripartite Treaty have been analysed. By supplementing these findings with documents and memoirs, the study seeks to understand the evolution of Türkiye’s foreign policy during World War II.