Dersim Rebellion
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| Dersim Rebellion of 1937/1938 | |||||||
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 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen (November 17, 1937, in front of the Pertek People's House) |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Republic of Turkey |
Dersim tribes | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mustafa Kemal Atatürk İsmet İnönü Kâzım Orbay Abdullah Alpdoğan Galip Deniz Kemal Ergüden İsmail Hakkı Tekçe Şemsi Erkuş Rêber Qop Zeynel Top |
Seyid Riza (POW)  Kamer Aga (Yusufan) Cebrail Aga (Demenan) Kamer Aga (Haydaran) Alîşêr † Zarîfe † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 50,000[1] | 3,000[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | 10.000 killed[3] or 13,160 civilians[4]-70,000 people[5] killed 11,818 forced migration[4] |
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The Dersim rebellion was an uprising against the Turkish government in the Dersim region of eastern Turkey, which includes Tunceli Province, Elazığ Province, and Bingöl Province.[6] The rebellion was led by Seyid Riza, an Alevi Zaza chieftain of the Yukarı Abbas Uşağı tribe.[7]
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[edit] Background
[edit] Ottoman period
During the Ottoman period, before the Tanzimat, most of the empire's eastern regions were administrated by the Zaza or Kurdish feudal system. Authority in these regions was in the hands of feudal lords, tribal chieftains and aghas (dignitaries).[8]
[edit] Early republican era
The situation of Dersim in the Ottoman Empire continued in the early years of the Republic of Turkey. Tribes from Dersim objected to losing authority and rejected paying taxes.[9]
Complaints kept coming from the governors. In an Interior Ministry report in 1926, it was considered necessary to use force against the residents of Dersim.[10]
[edit] Law on Resettlement
The Turkification process in Turkey began with the Turkish National Assembly passing the 1934 Law on Resettlement ('İskân Kanunu' Law No.2510, 13 June 1934).[11]
[edit] "Tunceli" law
Dersim region included the Tunceli Province whose name was changed from Dersim to Tunceli with the "Law on Administration of the Tunceli Province" (Tunceli Vilayetinin İdaresi Hakkında Kanun), no. 2884 of 25 December 1935[12] on January 4, 1936.[13]
[edit] Fourth General Inspectorate
In order to consolidate the authority in the process of Turkification of religious and ethnic minorities,[14] the Turkish Grand National Assembly got the law numbered 1164 and dated June 25, 1927 passed. After the First Inspectorate-General (January 1, 1928, Diyarbakır),[15]
Thrace pogroms on the Second Inspectorate-General (February 19, 1934, Edirne)[6] and the Third Inspectorate-General (August 25, 1935, Erzurum)[16][17] on June 6. 1936, the Fourth General Inspectorate (Dördüncü Umumi Müffetişlik) was established in historical Dersim region that includes Tunceli Province, Elazığ Province and Bingöl Province.[6]
On 1 November 1936, during a speech in the parliament Atatürk acknowledged the situation in Dersim as Turkey's most important internal problem.[18] Firstly, military stations were built to the strategical zones.[citation needed] Inspector of the 4. General Ispectorate, Lieutenant General Abdullah Alpdoğan had the authority to sign the court orders, providing security, to exile the people that live in the city when needed.[citation needed]
[edit] The Rebellion
After "Tunceli" law, the Turkish government built military observation posts in centers of districts such as Kahmut, Sin, Karaoğlan, Amutka, Danzik, Haydaran etc.
[edit] From Uhundu village to Pah bridge
According to Hıdır Göktaş, in March 1937, Turkish troops came to Uhundu village from Tülük village, Mehmet Ali Menteş, a member of Yusufan tribe invited them to his house. Since a young officer attempted to rape Mehmet Ali's young and beautiful wife, Mehmet Ali shot both of them to death to protect namus and wounded two soldiers. After this affair Mehmet Ali and his brothers left village to escape. When they passed Pah Bridge, they removed several wooden board from the bridge to delay the follow-up activities of soldiers. Turkish authority proclaimed that Dersim tribes rebelled and burned a bridge.[19]
Turkish soldiers came to Kamer Aga, chieftain of Yusufan tribe, and want him to deliver Mehmet Ali. A Turkish colonel said to Kamer Aga Deliver suspects, otherwise we will set fire to your village. Kamer Aga responded to a colonel that Mehmet Ali only reacted to officer's attempt to rape his wife and rejected the delivery of Mehmet Ali.[19]
[edit] A meeting at Halbori cells
Chieftain of Yukarı Abbas Uşağı Seyit Riza sent his fellow men to Haydaran, Demenan, Yusufan, Kureyşan tribes to make an alliance.[20]
According to Turkish authority, on March 20/21, 1937, 23:00, Demenan and Haydaran tribes broke a bridge connecting Pah and Kahmut at the Harçik Valley. 4. Inspector General ordered to prepare for the action to 2. Mobile Gendarmerie Battalion at Pülümür, 3. Mobile Gendarmerie Battalion at Pülür, 9. Gendarmier Battalion at Mazkirt, Mobile Gendarmerie Regiment at Hozat and sent one infantry company of 9. Mobile Gendarmier Battalion to Pah.[20]
[edit] Turkish military operations
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Dersim Massacre. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2011. |
According to Osman Pamukoğlu, a general in Turkish Army in the 1990s, Atatürk had given the operation order himself.[21]
[edit] 1937
[edit] First Tunceli Operation
On September 10–12, 1937, Seyit Rıza came to the government building of Erzincan Province for peace talks and was arrested.[22] On the next day, he was transferred to the headquarter of the General Inspectorate at Elazığ and hanged with 6 (or 10) of his fellows on November 15–18, 1937[23]
- Seyit Rıza
- Resik Hüseyin (Seyit Rıza's son, 16 years old)
- Seyit Hüseyin (the chieftain of Kureyşan-Seyhan tribe)
- Fındık Aga (Yusfanlı Kamer Aga's son)
- Hasan Aga (Demenan tribe, Cebrail Ağa's son)
- Hasan (Kureyşan tribesman Ulkiye's son)
- Ali Aga (Mirza Ali's son)
November 17, 1937, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came to Pertek for taking part in opening ceremony of the Bridge Singeç.[24][25]
[edit] 1938
[edit] Second Tunceli Operation
The prime minister, Celal Bayar (in office: Oct 25, 1937–Jan 25, 1939) had agreed on an attack to Dersim rebels.[26] The operation started on January 2, 1938 and finished on August 7, 1938.
[edit] Third Tunceli Operation
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Third Tunceli Operation was carried out between August 10–17, 1938.
[edit] Sweep operations
Sweep operations that started on September 6, was continued for 17 days.[27]
[edit] Aerial operations
Turkish planes flew numerous sorties against rebels during the rebellion. Among the pilots was Kemal Atatürk's adopted daughter, Sabiha Gökçen, the first female fighter pilot in military history.[28] A report of the General Staff mentioned the "serious damage" that had been caused by her 50 kg bomb, upon a group of 50 fleeing bandits.[29]
Muhsin Batur, engaged in operations for about two months over Dersim. But he stated in his reminiscences that he wanted to avoid explaining this part of his life.[30] Nuri Dersimi claims that the Turkish air force bombed the district with poisonous gas in 1938.[31]
[edit] The Results
According to official report of 4. General Ispectorate, 13,160 civilians were killed by the Turkish Army and 11,818 people were taken into exile, depopulating the province.[4] According to Dersimi, many tribesmen were shot dead after surrendering, and women and children were locked into haysheds which were then set on fire.[32] According to McDowall, 40,000 people were killed.[1] According to diaspora Kurdish sources, over 70,000 people were killed.[5]
A key component of the Turkification process was the policy of massive population resettlement - a result of the 1934 law on resettlement. This policy targeted the region of Dersim as one of its first test cases, and it had disastrous consequences for the local population.[33]
Hüseyin Aygün, a jurist author, wrote in his book Dersim 1938 and Obligatory Settlement:
- "The rebellion was clearly caused by provoking. It caused the most violent tortures that were ever seen in a rebellion in the Republic years. Those that didn't take place in the rebellion and also the families of the rebels were also tortured."[34]
[edit] Recent developments
On November 23, 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized "on behalf of the state" over the killing of over 13,000 people during the rebellion.[35] His remarks were widely commented both inside and outside of Turkey.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b David McDowall, A modern history of the Kurds, I.B.Tauris, 2002, ISBN 9781850434160, p. 209.
- ^ Osman Pamukoğlu, Unutulanlar dışında yeni bir şey yok: Hakkari ve Kuzey Irak dağlarındaki askerler, Harmoni Yayıncılık, 2003, ISBN 9756340002, p. 16. (Turkish)
- ^ Turkey's Alevi enigma: a comprehensive overview, Paul J. White,Joost Jongerden, page 198, 2003
- ^ a b c "Resmi raporlarda Dersim katliamı: 13 bin kişi öldürüldü", Radikal, November 19, 2009. (Turkish)
- ^ a b http://www.pen-kurd.org/almani/haydar/Dersim-PresseerklC3A4rungEnglish.pdf
- ^ a b c Birinci Genel Müfettişlik Bölgesi, Güney Doğu, İstanbul, p. 66, 194. (Turkish)
- ^ http://www.massviolence.org/IMG/article_PDF/Dersim-Massacre-1937-1938.pdf
- ^ Faik Bulut, Devletin Gözüyle Türkiye'de Kürt İsyanlar (Kurdish rebellions in Turkey, with the point of view of government), Yön Yayınclık, 1991, 214-215. (Turkish)
- ^ Ziflioğlu, Vercihan (November 18, 2009). "Military documents to shine light on 'Dersim massacre'". Hurriyet Daily News. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=military-documents-to-shine-a-light-on-the-8220dersim-massacre8221-2009-11-18. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ Beşikçi, Ismail. (1990) Tunceli Kanunu (1935) ve Dersim Jenosidi (The 1935 law concerning Tunceli and the genocide of Dersim), Bonn, p.29. (Turkish)
- ^ Çağaptay, Soner (2002). "Reconfiguring the Turkish nation in the 1930s". Harvard. http://www.hks.harvard.edu/kokkalis/GSW4/CagaptayPAPER.PDF. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ New perspectives on Turkey, Issues 1-4, Simon's Rock of Bard College, 1999 p. 15.
- ^ Paul J. White, Primitive rebels or revolutionary modernizers?: the Kurdish national movement in Turkey, Zed Books, 2000, ISBN 9781856498227, p. 80.
- ^ Cemil Koçak, Umumi müfettişlikler (1927-1952), İletişim Yayınları, 2003, ISBN 9789750501296, p. 144.
- ^ Birinci Genel Müfettişlik Bölgesi, p. 66.
- ^ Cumhuriyet, August 26, 1935.
- ^ Erdal Aydoğan, "Üçüncü Umumi Müffetişliği'nin Kurulması ve III. Umumî Müffetiş Tahsin Uzer'in Bazı Önemli Faaliyetleri", Atatürk Yolu, Ankara Üniversitesi Türk İnklâp Tarihi Enstitüsü, Vol. 33-34, pp. 1-14.
- ^ Hasretyan, M. A. (1995) Türkiye'de Kürt Sorunu (1918-1940), Berlin, Wêşanên, ënstîtuya Kurdî: I., p. 262. (Turkish)
- ^ a b Ahmet Kahraman, Kürt İsyanları: Tedip ve Tenkil, Evrensel Basım Yayın, 2003, ISBN 9756525487, pp. 256-259. (Turkish)
- ^ a b Faik Bulut, ibid, p. 221. (Turkish)
- ^ "Pamukoğlu: Dersim'in emrini Atatürk verdi", Hürriyet, August 19, 2010. (Turkish)
- ^ Ahmet Kahraman, pp. 286-287. (Turkish)
- ^ Ahmet Kahraman, pp. 292-293. (Turkish)
- ^ Cumhuriyet, November 18, 1937, 17 Kasım 1937: Atatürk'ün Diyarbakır'dan Elâzığ'a gelişi, Tunceli'nin Pertek kazasına geçerek Murat Nehri üzerinde Singeç Köprüsü'nü hizmete açışı. (Turkish)
- ^ "Atatürk Pertek'te", The government of Pertek District. (Turkish)
- ^ "1937-1938’de Dersim’de neler oldu?", Taraf, November 16, 2008. (Turkish)
- ^ Faik Bulut, ibid, p. 277. (Turkish)
- ^ Sabiha Gökçen's biography, USAF Air Command and Staff College
- ^ Reşat Hallı, Türkiye Cumhuriyetinde Ayaklanmalar (1924–1938), T. C. Genelkurmay Baskanlığı Harp Tarihi Dairesi, 1972, p. 382. (Turkish)
- ^ Muhsin Batur, Anılar, Görüşler, Üç Dönemin Perde Arsası, Milliyet Yayınları, 1985, p. 25. (Turkish)
- ^ Martin van Bruinessen, Kurdish ethno-nationalism versus nation-building states: collected articles, Isis Press, 2000, ISBN 9789754281774, p. 116.
- ^ The Suppression of the Dersim Rebellion in Turkey (1937-38) Page 4
- ^ George J Andreopoulos, Genocide, page 11.
- ^ Hüseyin Aygün, Dersim 1938 ve zorunlu iskân: telgraflar, dilekçeler, mektuplar, Dipnot Yayınları, 2009, ISBN 9789759051754, p.[citation needed]. (Turkish)
- ^ Turkish PM apologizes over 1930s killings of Kurds
