Homeland Security of Turkey During the War of National Independence and Turkish Police

Abstract

After the defeat and consequent breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the European powers occupied Turkey. However, the Turkish Nationalist Forces under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal launched a struggle to rescue their homeland which is the last territory to survive for them. M. Kemal took the support of the overwhelming majority of the people to fight against the occupiers. Although there are many researches regarding this struggle, the role of one important group, namely the police, yet, has not been studied well. Police displayed their full support for the national movement apart from their basic duty which is to provide the public peace and order. There are numerous police officers who lost their lives or won war medal for their contributions to the war. So, this article aims to examine the roles of Turkish police during the Turkish National Struggle and gives a brief outlook of the Turkish police organization.