An abstract of the Thesis of Ercüment Asil for the degree of Master of Arts from the Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History to be taken August 2005

The Reception of Liberty in Konya, September 1908 – April 1909

This thesis traces the path that led to divergences in the public opinion in Konya between September 1908 and April 1909. Following the proclamation of the Constitution, the Selanik headquarters of the CUP sent a delegation to the province of Konya, which visited various towns in order to inform the people about the Committee and the new regime. The single local private newspaper Anadolu highly appreciated these visits. In addition, the newspaper reflected a colorful account of one of the major blessings of liberty: political participation through elections. With the inauguration of political discussions in the Parliament the public opinion in Konya started to bifurcate. This thesis argued that the Parliament, as an institution that crystallized competing political perspectives, was significant in determining the issues around which the public opinion in Konya developed divergences. It was first divided along the actions of Kamil Pasha and then along the concept of seriat. Party affiliations, especially with the Liberal Union, did not play a major role in these splits. Special attention was paid to the slowly
changing perceptions of the CUP during the period in question. While the CUP enjoyed a highly prestigious position until March, afterwards minor criticizing accounts started to be seen in some newspapers.

Atatürk İlkeleri ve İnkılap Tarihi Enstitüsü’nde Yüksek Lisans derecesi için Ercüment Asil tarafından Agustos 2005’te teslim edilen tezin kısa özeti

Konya’da Hürriyet’in Alımlanması, Eylül 1908 – Nisan 1909

Bu tez Konya kamuoyunun 1908 Eylül’ünden 1909 Nisan’ına dogru nasıl bir kırılma geçirdigini izlemektedir. Mesrutiyet’in ilanının hemen ardından, Selanik’teki