Ethem Nejat
Encyclopedia
Ethem Nejat was a Turkish revolutionary communist militant.
Nejat worked on education during the Second Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire
. Originally a pan-Turkist
, in 1918, the Ottoman Government sent him to Germany, where he became a Communist and participated in the Spartacist
German Revolution
along with the "Workers and Peasants Party" he formed with Turkish students and workers who were in Germany. This group published the paper Liberation. They were recalled in 1919 back to Turkey, where they changed the name of the party to the Turkish Workers and Peasants Socialist Party
. Members of this party were eventually going to make the bulk of the Istanbul
organization of the Communist Party of Turkey. Liberation was published in Turkey, and Ethem Nejat was writing articles about the proletariat, capital, class struggle; the paper also had articles about the October Revolution
.
The Turkish Bolshevik
Mustafa Suphi
, exiled in Russia
, was planning to get in touch with communist groups in Turkey and form the Communist Party of Turkey by uniting the different communist groups in Turkey. As Suphi was in Baku
, Nejat took the initiative among communists within Turkey. This enabled the first congress of the Communist Party of Turkey to be held on September 11, 1920, in Baku, at which Nejat made a speech on the "Workers Struggle in Istanbul". The Turkish Workers and Peasants Socialist Party constituted one of the three major factions of the new communist party. He was elected as the general secretary of the new party.
With the Communist Party, Nejat's supporters published the magazine Enlightened, which became the de facto legal press organ of the party. After several months, the leading militants of the Party decided to return to Turkey in order to join the ongoing struggle. One their way to Ankara
to meet Mustafa Kemal
, they were attacked by the inhabitants of the cities they were passing, who had been provoked by Kemalists. Finally they decided to return to Baku with a boat from the city of Trabzon
. Ethem Nejat and Mustafa Suphi were killed along with 14 comrades at 29th January by Captain Yahya who is under the Ankara government's command.
Nejat worked on education during the Second Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Originally a pan-Turkist
Pan-Turkism
Pan-Turkism is a nationalist movement that emerged in 1880s among the Turkic intellectuals of the Russian Empire, with the aim of cultural and political unification of all Turkic peoples.-Name:...
, in 1918, the Ottoman Government sent him to Germany, where he became a Communist and participated in the Spartacist
Spartacist League
The Spartacus League was a left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany during World War I. The League was named after Spartacus, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the Roman Republic...
German Revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
along with the "Workers and Peasants Party" he formed with Turkish students and workers who were in Germany. This group published the paper Liberation. They were recalled in 1919 back to Turkey, where they changed the name of the party to the Turkish Workers and Peasants Socialist Party
Turkish Workers and Peasants Socialist Party
The Turkish Workers and Peasants Socialist Party was founded in Istanbul on 22 September, 1919. Şefik Hüsnü, Ethem Nejat Ahmet Akif, Sadrettin Celal, Nafi Atuğ Kansu, Cevat Cevdet and Namık İsmail were prominent members...
. Members of this party were eventually going to make the bulk of the Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
organization of the Communist Party of Turkey. Liberation was published in Turkey, and Ethem Nejat was writing articles about the proletariat, capital, class struggle; the paper also had articles about the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
.
The Turkish Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Mustafa Suphi
Mustafa Suphi
Mustafa Suphi was a Turkish communist leader .- Early Years :Suphi was educated in Jerusalem, Damascus and Erzurum before attending Galatasaray High School. He studied political science in Paris, where he was also a correspondent of the Turkish newspaper Tanin...
, exiled in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, was planning to get in touch with communist groups in Turkey and form the Communist Party of Turkey by uniting the different communist groups in Turkey. As Suphi was in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Nejat took the initiative among communists within Turkey. This enabled the first congress of the Communist Party of Turkey to be held on September 11, 1920, in Baku, at which Nejat made a speech on the "Workers Struggle in Istanbul". The Turkish Workers and Peasants Socialist Party constituted one of the three major factions of the new communist party. He was elected as the general secretary of the new party.
With the Communist Party, Nejat's supporters published the magazine Enlightened, which became the de facto legal press organ of the party. After several months, the leading militants of the Party decided to return to Turkey in order to join the ongoing struggle. One their way to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
to meet Mustafa Kemal
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
, they were attacked by the inhabitants of the cities they were passing, who had been provoked by Kemalists. Finally they decided to return to Baku with a boat from the city of Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
. Ethem Nejat and Mustafa Suphi were killed along with 14 comrades at 29th January by Captain Yahya who is under the Ankara government's command.