ACTIVITIES OF THE REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE MARASH NATIONAL STRUGGLE
Abstract
Maraş was first occupied by the British (22 February - 30 October 1919) and later by the French (31 October 1919-11 February 1920). The British occupation continued about for eight months. During the French occupation, which began with the end of the Occupation of the British, the French occupation administration attempted cooperating with the Armenians and increased their oppression and persecution and attack the people's national and moral values because of this people began a struggle against the occupation forces. For this purpose, on November 29 1919, the Marash Defense of rights organization was established and the formation of the Nationalist Forces which was the military wing of the struggle was attended. The first important step was taken in Erzurum as a result of the efforts initiated by Mustafa Kemal in order to organize the struggle against the occupation of Anatolia while the Marash National Struggle was organizing this local level organization. Despite being of a regional nature, the main organization of the National Struggle in the name of the Representative committee was established here. This organization, which was further developed in the Sivas congress and expanded its mandate and authority to cover all Anatolian and Rumelia regions, was not to be left indifferent to military developments on the South front. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to show what kind of activities that the Representative committee had been in face of the military developments in Marash and its surroundings, which constitute a very strategic point of the southern front.
