MUSTAFA KEMAL PASHA’S ATT？TUDE TO “NATIONAL WILL “IN ASSEMBLY OPENING SPEECHES IN FIRST TBMM PERIOD

The concept of national will is one of the most basic principles of democracies. Mustafa Kemal Pasha adopted the principle of national sovereignty from the beginning of the National Struggle and tried to implement it. During the years of the National Struggle, the main factor and the fundamental principle on which he insisted in the process of establishing countrywide resistance organizations and congresses was the concept of “national will”. In the first chamber period (1920-1923) when the National Struggle continued, the idea of national will and national sovereignty became effective with the opening of Assembly. Mustafa Kemal Pasha emphasized national will as well as other issues in Assembly opening speeches which he did in every legislative session. In particular, his judgements of the concept of national will give an idea about the practices that took place in later periods. The fact that Mustafa Kemal Pasha emphasized on the concept of national will both with his activities and his speeches in the Assembly during the difficult conditions of the National Struggle established an important basis for the adoption of the national will and the principle of national sovereignty