PR FOR GETTING INDEPENDENCE IN 20. CENTURY

Before mentioning current public relations strategies of Turkey, it would be better to point out the main features which make Turkey is Republic of Turkey.

The truth of the matter is that Turkish Republic which formally was formed in 1923  had been established with a huge public relations politics in the process of organizing huge crowd of people by great Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of Turkish Republic, for the Indepence War of Turkey. Especially according to the conditions  of those war times which Turkey had been involved, eventhough the high level of poverty the people had; Atatürk succeeded in creating an independence country from nothing Ottoman Empire left by making people belive what he believed ( independency is the most crucial thing a nation has to have) and by having a relationship with them in a good, celar and trustful way.

So, while today public relations’ meaning is still being discussed, no one is aware of that the lands we step out every day  had been gained with the result of marvellous manipulation of public relations strategy.

That amazing, well organized process was simply based on the struggle where was behind the front lines to direct and affect the crowd and which was as important as cannonballs and rifles. In that contention , it can not be ignored Ataturk’s oratory ability and the marvellous way of convincing the nation. Before Republic was established, there were so many reasons required a war for Turkish community but making nation ready for an Indepence War needed to become organized and conciousness much more than enough.

The speeches Ataturk gave, congress which he arranged before going to the war fronts, meetings holded at the homes, newspapers published as local and international, getting fundraising as cloth and food, the way of using information and motivation tools internally, publishing communiques, establishing associations are some of the preparations for the Independence War of Turkey.

In terms of fitting Ataturk’s strategies into a public relations model, it can be mantioned Double Side Symmetrical Model which Cutlip and Center described as endeavouring to affect public opinion with a mutual communication bases on honest and responsible applications. (Cutlip and Center, 1985, 3)

While he was listening to a farmer with deep interest

This model is fulfilled with dialog, consultation, listening; and in contrast to asymmetric model symmetric model makes research to make understanding and communication easier rather than just deciding the messages which are to convince and motivate communities. That is, as the main aim of symmetric model requires a great leader ability and to understand by showing respect instead of just trying to convince people; what Ataturk put into practice in the early of 20th century can be fit with this model.

When great leader M.K. Ataturk decided to fo forward Anatolia, he took the general situation of the country into consideration and contemplated what might have been done in that situation. Some of the points which he regarded are like;

·         The recent situation of Ottoman Army at the end of World War 1

·         The general approach of Ottoman Empire toward general situation

·         Status of the nation and what they had been doing in terms of finding ways of getting better conditions

·         Different associations which were launced in different areas of the country and their aims

·         The current status of the army in Anatolia

·         The loyalty of nation and army toward Ottoman Sultan and Caliph

·         Public’s and higbrows’ fearness of resisting to the Allies

·         Limited authority of Ataturk

With regard to all these factors, Ataturk put forward 3 different solutions which are like;

·         
      Willing to being under the protection of English

·         Requiring American Mandate

·         Applying for regional liberation solutions

The brave leader Ataturk, after the process of analyzing the current status and thinking on the possible results of his decision said that:

“Prerogative Turkish Nation; for the situation we are in, there is just one decision to make: To establish a new Turkish Republic bases on nation domination which will be unrestricted, unconditioned and independent.

In terms of public relations, Ataturk first analyzed the situation, exposed the matters and decided for the solution. That solution was ,as he said:   “ Either independence or death! ”

For Ataturk who determined the matters and decided for a last and one decision, the importance of making plan was stated in the first ages of his speech book, Nutuk;

“ Whoever assaulted to Turkish independence, we needed to fight with them all together with rifles. Hovewer explaining the whole necessities for this important decision would have been a wrong attitude. It was need to divide the process into the steps , create a convenient area for the public opinion by exploiting their ideas and approaches; and as last to reach the success by moving ahead step by step.

The success in there was to establish ‘Republic of Turkey’ .

Besides, in those terms, Ataturk had a national secret as he said:

“ For me, it was compulsory to enforce the nation gradually to execute their potential development capability which was in their conscience and the future  and the capability of which existence I believed and kept in my inside like a secret.”

Needless to say, this approach reflects a perfect public relations strategy with regard to the aim of convincing people firstly by understanding and believing them; after making them believe it.