THE MINING OF TURKEY IN THE PERIOD OF MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK

Abstract

The Anatolian geography, in which our country is located, has been host to many ancient civilizations as well as empires and states such as the Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman from ancient times to the present due to its rich natural resources and important geopolitical position. The Ottoman Empire, which ruled in Anatolia for more than 600 years, was able to compete with Europe during its rising period in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the successful policies implemented in the mining sector. However, as a result of the developments that emerged after the 17th and 18th centuries, the mining sector in the Ottoman Empire started to fall behind. After the 19th century and especially in the period that started with the Tanzimat Reform Edict, the mining sector in the Ottoman Empire remained under the control of foreigners and minorities until the collapse of the empire as a result of regulations that were directly and indirectly related to the mining sector. In the period starting with the declaration of the Republic, the deficiencies and mistakes in the mining sector inherited from the Ottoman Empire were tried to be eliminated. In addition to this, mining activities were reorganized through the many policies, laws, regulations and newly established institutions, organizations, enterprises and factories. As a result of the regulations were made in the first years of the Republic, new mineral deposits were discovered, the reserves and diversity of known mineral deposits were increased, and significant increases were achieved in the production and export of the mines and mining added-value. In this study, it is aimed to make a general evaluation of the mining sector under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the fifteen year period from 1923 to 1938, which started with the declaration of the Republic.