THE TURKISH WAR OF INDEPENDENCE IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (1918-1922)

In the British political system, the Parliament, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, has always been a leading legal authority in both the administration of the country and the determination of foreign policy. Since the nineteenth century, when the British Empire was experiencing its golden age, the Ottoman Empire has had a large place in British politics, which has been shaped by imperialist interests and orientalist discourses. In the early years of the twentieth century, Turkish-British relations, which entered a process of rupture due to developments in the Balkans and the Middle East rather than the economic-political axis, continued in a problematic manner. After the First World War, the British occupation of Istanbul initiated the national struggle under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. After the Treaty of Lausanne, it is seen that Britain's hostile diplomacy against the Republic of Turkey continued for a while in line with its economic and political interests. The Turkish War of Independence, which corresponded to the period when the legitimacy of the British Empire began to be questioned, social opposition increased and political debates intensified, was closely followed in the British Parliament as well as in the public opinion. In this study, the discussions in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords from 1919 to 1922 will be evaluated and the prominent agenda items in Turkish-British relations will be presented. In line with the comments, analyses, questions and answers of the members of parliament, the decision-making mechanism of the British government in foreign policy will be evaluated and the reasons and results of its different approaches from the beginning of the War of Independence to the Chanak Crisis, when Prime Minister Lloyd George fell from power, will be revealed.