We have seen that Turkey had taken part in the First World War against the Allies. She was badly defeated in the war. In the Peace Conference of Paris, Turkey was forced to sign the Treaty of Sevres (1920).

The terms of this treaty were very harsh and humiliating to Turkey. The map of the Turkish Empire was thoroughly altered. It was made very limited, retaining only Constantinople and a part of Thrace in Europe.

Turkey had to give up her rights over Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia and some other territories beyond Asia Minor. In this way, the Turkish Empire was dissolved by the Treaty of Sevres.

Although the Sultan of Turkey accepted this treaty, Mustafa Kemal Pasha bitterly opposed the conditions of the treaty and advised the Sultan to reject it in to.

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It was his opinion that the Turkish government should again declare war against the Allied Powers, and it should not accept the Treaty of Sevres.

When he failed in persuading the Sultan in his favour, he turned into a great opponent of the Turkish government and decided to persuade public opinion in favour of revolution so that the humiliation might be avenged.

At that time, Mustafa Kemal Pasha had become much popular among the people of Turkey. He encouraged the nationalists and patriots of Turkey to rise in revolt against the Turkish government.

They established an independent government in the province of Anatolia and declared the city of Ankara as its capital.

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Kemal Pasha, the unquestioned leader of the revolutionary government, told the European powers very frankly that the patriots and the nationalists of Turkey had rejected the Treaty of Sevres. He also warned them not to acquire any part of the Turkish Empire.

In this way, the revolution broke out in Turkey. It created a critical situation for the Sultan of Turkey. He made an appeal to the people of Turkey not to support the Ankara government of Kemal Pasha.

He also passed orders to arrest Kemal Pasha but he bitterly failed in his attempts. The Ankara government declared war against Italy and Greece to acquire those territories which had been given to them according to the Treaty of Sevres.

Italy, without shedding a drop of blood, withdrew her army from the provinces of Turkey. But the Greek army refused to go back. It was badly defeated in the Turko-Greek War.