Reflections of Izmir’s Liberation Anniversaries on Izmir Press (1923-1938)

The dates May 15, 1919 and September 9, 1922 stand as a climax for Izmir. The invasion begins with the Greek army’s entering in Izmir and ends with the elimination of the Greek army in Izmir, as well. September 9 is the anniversary of the event in which Turkish army reached at the first target and the motherland was liberated, while 15 May is the anniversary of the date in which Greeks attacked motherland. Regarding these, the value of these days is quite great for Turkish People and especially for the people in Izmir. In my study, it was analyzed how the independence anniversary of Izmir (1923-1938) takes place in Izmir's press. When we focus on 9th September, we may realise independence story of Izmir, preparations for festival, the festival itself, proses and poems about the importance of the day on the newspapers. In addition to this, the architecture of this successful story Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his friends were honoured in the newspapers. Thus, Izmir Press contributes to the comprehension of these two dates by people by means of the thoughts and ideas written in articles.