The expected year 2023 has arrived! What is known about the Lausanne Lie?

The War of Independence, which began with the landing of the great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Samsun on May 19, 1919, ended with a major victory on September 9, 1922, forcing the Greek armies to leave Izmir. By this time, the period of heated conflict had ended and negotiations began on a permanent peace agreement. After negotiations starting 23 April 1922 and lasting 3 months in Lausanne, Switzerland between representatives of the Grand National Assembly of England, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Japan, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, Belgium, Portugal and Turkey. An agreement was signed that will go down in history as the Lausanne Peace Treaty. With the agreement signed by İsmet İnönü on behalf of Turkey, Turkey’s independence and its current borders were recognized by the whole world. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of our republic, stressed the importance of the treaty.This treaty is a document proclaiming the collapse of the great attempt to destroy the Turkish people, which was prepared for centuries and was considered completed by the Treaty of Sevres.” expressed in his words …

However, in subsequent years, the Lausanne Peace Treaty became one of the most discussed topics in Turkey, about which the most claims, speculation and lies were produced. In other words, the Treaty of Lausanne has become Turkey’s greatest urban legend over the years! Some segments spread the big lie that there are secret substances in Lausanne and said that Turkey cannot extract minerals and oil because of the treaty! However, another of the oft-told lies about the treaty was that the Treaty of Lausanne would end in 2023 and the “secret” clauses would come into effect! Here comes the expected year 2023. But the Treaty of Lausanne remains in force! Ali Kemal Erdem interviewed historian Mustafa Solak for Independent Turkish. Let’s take a look inside Turkey’s biggest urban legend together…

The most common allegation about Lausanne, or rather the most common lie, is undoubtedly entitled “The Secret Articles of Lausanne”!

Those who have been repeating this lie for years say that Lausanne contains secret materials and that these secret materials interfere with the extraction of precious metals and oil in Turkey. The other most often untruthful lie about Lausanne is that the treaty will expire in 2023, 100 years after it was signed. For this reason, 2023, which we met a few days ago, has been the scene of many posts making fun of this lie about Lausanne, especially on social media…

The lie about the Lausanne Peace Treaty has long been on the country’s agenda.

The lies have been repeated in circles over the years, including some names that have been circulating under the guise of historians for years. For this reason, the Lausanne lie is widely accepted as true. Especially today, when the Internet has become a part of everyday life, new lies are added to the Lausanne lies and the people to whom these lies reach.

So much so that in March last year, a citizen came to the fore, asking the Presidential Communications Center (CIMER) if there were classified substances in Lausanne. Of course, the response of the Communications Center under the President is as follows: “There are no secret articles in the Lausanne Peace Treaty, and there is no article that prevents us from mining.” was in shape.

Ideological obsession as well as ignorance played a role in making the Lausanne lie become Turkey’s biggest urban legend.

Because these lies have been consciously and systematically expressed over the years by those who criticize Atatürk, secularism and the unitary structure. Accordingly, both ignorance in the field of history and the desire to settle scores with the fundamental values ​​​​of the republic found flesh and bone in the form of the “Lausanne lie”. urban legend over the years originated?

Historian Mustafa Solak claims that the legend of Lausanne’s secret substances first appeared in the 1940s.

According to Solak, the allegation of the existence of a secret treaty, consisting of an additional protocol of 21 articles, in addition to the text of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, dates back to the 1940s. The accusations are based on those who tried to distort the history of the republic, wanted to show Atatürk as a man of the British and claimed that the caliphate and the sultanate were given in exchange for a treaty. an attempt to create an alternative history eat.

Lausanne’s secret clauses and the lie that the agreement expires in 2023 are fairly common. But among the lies there are less well-known and rather unusual ones!

One is that our dominance of the Straits will end on April 25, 2023. In addition, there are interesting lies, such as the fact that Hagia Sophia will be transferred to the Patriarchy, and some articles of the Treaty of Sevres will come into force after 2023. One of the most interesting lies is that the classified materials in Lausanne were signed in the coal box of the Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel!

According to historian Mustafa Solak, Lausanne’s lies find buyers from all walks of life!

Because this lie has long been on the agenda in different periods and is often repeated by different segments. So much so that among those who believe in the Lausanne lie, there are even teachers who have taken history lessons throughout their educational lives! For this reason, Solak states that Lausanne’s lies must be treated with caution. Because lies also have an extremely dangerous function to polarize society.

Turkey’s biggest urban legend is being used to question Atatürk and republican values

The Lausanne lies are systematically used by some to defame the founding values ​​of the Republic. With the slanders that are repeated one after another and constantly brought to the agenda, Solak says, it becomes easier to at least raise a question mark about the founding values… That is why Lausanne continues to be Turkey’s biggest urban legend.

On the other hand, according to Solak, these lies must be seriously combated in order to prevent social polarization. Because whoever believes these lies is unlikely to be malicious. In other words, the number of people who believe Lausanne’s lies due to lack of information is quite large. This is why educators especially need to effectively fight lies and correct misinformation in society.

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