Today in History – 10 November

An eternal friendship that began at the front

On November 10, 1938, the entire world mourned the loss of Great Leader Atatürk. The sorrow of İnönü, who lost his brother in arms, commander in chief, and, leader whom he worked together for years in politics, was more profound. Their friendship had a remarkable history.

The friendship between Colonel İsmet and Mustafa Kemal began immediately after the Battles of Çanakkale. Colonel İsmet served under him first as the Chief of Staff of the Second Army and the Commander of the Army Corps. This close camaraderie between Mustafa Kemal and Colonel İsmet at the front was of great importance for the two men to get to known each other’s characters and ways of thinking.

This close bond of friendship was also influential in the years of the National Struggle and the founding of the new state. Colonel İsmet severed all ties with İstanbul on April 9, 1920 and moved to Ankara, serving as the right hand of Mustafa Kemal from this date onwards until the end of the War of Independence.

Due to the confidence Mustafa Kemal had in him, İnönü was sent first to Mudanya to conduct ceasefire negotiations after the War of Independence was over and later to Lausanne, where he would fight for Turkey’s independence at the table.

İsmet İnönü was always in close collaboration with Mustafa Kemal during the proclamation of the Republic on October 29, 1923 and throughout the implementation of the reforms, lending him full support. Atatürk was the first president of the Republic of Turkey and İsmet İnönü was his first prime minister. Young Turkey was shaped in the hands of these two powerful leaders.