Why Did Turkey Change Its Capital?
Since usually the largest and most modern city of any country is its capital, people also feel the same about Istanbul and think that Istanbul is the capital of Turkey. Of course, this thought is not wrong, because Istanbul was the capital of Turkey in the past and for many years. But why did Türkiye change its capital? This is the question that I want to investigate further.
Why did Turkey change its capital?
On October 13, 1923, Ankara was chosen as the capital of Turkey instead of Istanbul. This change of the capital had many factors. But this change did not reduce the importance of Istanbul and today Istanbul is still the most important and touristic city in Turkey.
The fate of this city changed when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came to power and placed it as the center of the resistance movement against the Allies in 1920. After the success of the Turkish Independence War, the imperial government in Istanbul was overthrown by the Supreme National Assembly of Turkey in 1923, and the Republic of Turkey was established.
Why was the capital of Turkey moved to Ankara?
From 1918 to 1923, Istanbul was occupied by the British as the Ottoman capital. During all this time, Ankara was the headquarters of the Turkish National Movement, and the Turkish Independence War was organized from this city. Its importance also gradually increased during the same period. The occupation of Istanbul ended on October 6, 1923, along with the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of a republic by Atatürk.
In the same month, on October 29, Ankara was chosen as the capital of Turkey. The choice of Ankara as the capital had two reasons; First, Ankara played an essential role throughout the war, and second, so that the occupation of Istanbul would not happen again.
The city of Ankara was located in the center of Turkey in terms of geographical location, and strategically, it was much more difficult for the enemy to capture it. This city was chosen as the capital to protect the Turkish government and prevent an easy fall.
The change of the capital of Turkey from Istanbul to Ankara made the future of this city very bright. This city was very small in the past and during the development of Istanbul. But nowadays, due to the change of the Turkish capital, it has become the political and commercial hub of Turkey.
Long story short
As you can see, there were many reasons for changing the capital of Turkey. Certainly, the reasons for changing the capital of Turkey are not limited to this article and have much more details.
