Mustafa Suphi
Encyclopedia
Mustafa Suphi was a Turkish
communist leader (1883 in Giresun
- 29 January 1921, on the Black Sea
).
and Erzurum
before attending Galatasaray
High School. He studied political science in Paris
, where he was also a correspondent of the Turkish newspaper Tanin. He returned to Turkey in 1910, where he edited the newspaper Ifham. He also he gave lectures on law
and economics
. In 1913 he was accused of involvement in assassination of Mahmud Şevket Pasha
and was sentenced to fifteen years in exile in Sinop
. Here he contributed articles about western philosophy to the periodicals Ictiha and Hak. However in 1914 he escaped from Sinop and fled to Russia, where, following the outbreak of the First World War, Russian authorities regarded him as prisoner of war and sent him into exile in the Ural
region.
Party. In July 1918, he helped organise the Congress of the Turkish Left Socialists, held in Moscow, and in November became involved in Muskom
. He was also elected to the Central Committee of the All Russia Muslim Workers section of Narkomnats
. He acted as Mirsäyet Soltanğäliev
's secretary. He was chairperson of the Turkish Section of Eastern Publicity Bureau, and in 1919 attended the First Congress of the Third International as the delegate for Turkey. That year he also founded "Yeni Dünya (New World), which he used to popularize the foundations of scientific socialism amongst Turkish POWs.
At the First Congress of Communist Party of Turkey, held in Baku
on 10 September 1920. Suphi was elected President and went to Anatolia
. He was one of the 15 Communists that went to Turkey to join the Turkish War of Independence
. After encountering hostility in Erzurum
, the communists tried to return to Baku. However, they were murdered by Sailor Yahya after setting sail from Trabzon
on the night of 28 January 1921. According to other sources he was murdered by a group of pro-Enver supporters from Trabzon
, apparently because of the fear that Suphi might expose Enver's plans of political activities in Moscow
and his ultimate intention of using the Bolsheviks to regain power in Turkey
once the nationalists
were defeated.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
communist leader (1883 in Giresun
Giresun Province
Giresun Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its adjacent provinces are Trabzon to the east, Gümüşhane to the south-west, Erzincan to the south, Sivas to the south-east, and Ordu to the west. The provincial capital is Giresun....
- 29 January 1921, on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
).
Early Years
Suphi was educated in Jerusalem, DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
before attending Galatasaray
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul, most notable for its football section, also known as Galatasaray S.K.. It also fields teams in Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair basketball, Volleyball, Water polo, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Judo, Bridge, Equestrian, Handball,...
High School. He studied political science in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he was also a correspondent of the Turkish newspaper Tanin. He returned to Turkey in 1910, where he edited the newspaper Ifham. He also he gave lectures on law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. In 1913 he was accused of involvement in assassination of Mahmud Şevket Pasha
Mahmud Sevket Pasha
Mahmud Shevket Pasha was an Ottoman general and statesman of Arab and Georgian descent. Some sources also note Chechen or Circassian ancestry. He was born in Baghdad where he finished his primary education before going on to the Military Academy in Constantinople. He joined the army in 1882 as...
and was sentenced to fifteen years in exile in Sinop
Sinop, Turkey
Sinop is a city with a population of 36,734 on İnce Burun , by its Cape Sinop which is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, in modern-day northern Turkey, historically known as Sinope...
. Here he contributed articles about western philosophy to the periodicals Ictiha and Hak. However in 1914 he escaped from Sinop and fled to Russia, where, following the outbreak of the First World War, Russian authorities regarded him as prisoner of war and sent him into exile in the Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
region.
Communist Activism
In 1915, whilst in the Urals he joined the BolshevikBolshevik
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....
Party. In July 1918, he helped organise the Congress of the Turkish Left Socialists, held in Moscow, and in November became involved in Muskom
Muskom
Muskom was the Central Commissariat of Muslim affairs in Inner Russia and Siberia set up by the Bolsheviks in January 1918 as part of Narkomnats Mullanur Waxitov was appointed as chair, although he was not a member of the Communist Party. Mirsäyet Soltanğäliev served as the representative of the...
. He was also elected to the Central Committee of the All Russia Muslim Workers section of Narkomnats
Narkomnats
People's Commissariat of Nationalities was the Government of the Soviet Union body set up to deal with non-Russian nationalities...
. He acted as Mirsäyet Soltanğäliev
Mirsäyet Soltangäliev
Sultan Galiev , usually known in English as Mirza Sultan-Galiev, was a Tatar Bolshevik who rose to prominence in the Russian Communist Party in the early 1920s...
's secretary. He was chairperson of the Turkish Section of Eastern Publicity Bureau, and in 1919 attended the First Congress of the Third International as the delegate for Turkey. That year he also founded "Yeni Dünya (New World), which he used to popularize the foundations of scientific socialism amongst Turkish POWs.
At the First Congress of Communist Party of Turkey, held 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...
on 10 September 1920. Suphi was elected President and went to Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. He was one of the 15 Communists that went to Turkey to join the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
. After encountering hostility in Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
, the communists tried to return to Baku. However, they were murdered by Sailor Yahya after setting sail from 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...
on the night of 28 January 1921. According to other sources he was murdered by a group of pro-Enver supporters from 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...
, apparently because of the fear that Suphi might expose Enver's plans of political activities in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and his ultimate intention of using the Bolsheviks to regain power in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
once the nationalists
Turkish National Movement
The Turkish National Movement encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries which resulted in the creation and shaping of the Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I....
were defeated.
- There is need to provide army service area in order to establish links between the partisan troops in various locations of Anatolia and there is need to establish Military-Revolution Committee so as to strengthen this movement. This organization is going to be independent; but our organization will guide it. All the mission of Military-Revolution Committee of Turkey will concentrate on the direction of progression and preservation of the movement of social revolution both in Soviet Russia and worldwide. It will prove useful for Anatolian movement against English – French occupiers, for the spread of this movement throughout the Caucasus and for the organization of Soviet power in those places. Military-Revolution Committee of Turkey taking control of all the duties in Anatolia by means of making use of the first opportunity, will build Socialist Turkey and run towards the aim of joining hands with neighbour Soviet Russia. (M. Suphi; Moscow, 28th October 1919)