From the People, Against the People: Banditry in Turkey during the National Struggle

When the phenomenon of banditry is analyzed from a historical perspective, it is considered as movements that emerge from within the public against the social order and paradoxically manifest themselves against the public and encompass collective rebellion. Due to their local character and limited organizational capacity, these organizations could not evolve into a sustainable resistance movement and were systematically liquidated by the state mechanism. This study analyzes the activities of gang and bandit groups operating in Turkey during the National Struggle in the period 1920-1924 based on archival documents. During the period of the War of Independence, politically motivated rebellion movements that emerged with the provocation and encouragement of external actors stand out. Although banditry cases, which can be categorized as ordinary banditry, were considered as isolated incidents, these activities emerged as the dominant factor threatening the social order of the country. Banditry acquired a dichotomous character in the period in question: Organizations that supported the National Struggle and those that acted under the influence of external factors. These two new movements replaced the traditional banditry paradigm.