LOZAN ANLAŞMASINDA İSTANBUL VE BOĞAZLAR (İSTANBUL, ÇANAKKALE) - ISTANBUL AND THE STRAITS (BOSPHORUS, DARDANELLES) IN THE TREATY OF LAUSANNE

At the end of World War I, Western countries aimed at a complete and harsh state of captivity for the Ottoman Empire. Based on that they started the preparations for a so-called peaceful order within and surrounding the country. Having decided that this could only be possible if the Ottoman Empire was to be separated and split up among the parties they put the Treaty of Sevres on the table. But lacking success, the peaceful order they at least hoped for was to be postponed till the Treaty of Lausanne. The actual end of World War I for Turkiye was the Treaty of Lausanne, which was also the cause of the juristical and fiscal elimination of the 600 years old Ottoman Empire and making way for the change of style of administration in Turkish lands, thus transformation into the Turkish Republic. During the period of giving-up on Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the new government the main issue have always been the status of Istanbul. Istanbul, the capital of the empire, has also been given up on. And also the legal status of another important strait, Canakkale (Dardanelles), have been shaped up, based on the demands of the British, who have suffered a great loss there. With the Treaty of Lausanne a Zone of Straits have been created, freed from any Turkish military force and any defensive power and to govern it a Straits Commission have been established by the League of Nations which actively worked for 12 years, between 1924 to 1936. Which also means that while salvaging almost entire country the Straits were given away. The new status for the Straits, which have always been an issue regarding the balance of power, was actually one of the very long-awaited wishes of the Great Western Powers.