''Tan'' () was a Turkish newspaper based in Istanbul, Turkey, which existed for ten years between 1935 and 1945. The paper has been known for the attacks against its offices due to the allegations of being a

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

publication in December 1945. It is also known for its editors, Zekeriya and

Sabiha Sertel Sabiha Sertel (1895–1968) was the first professional female journalist and publisher in modern Turkey. Her articles and columns advocated for reforming the rights of women and workers and criticized state oppression, imperialism, fascism and ...

History and profile

''Tan'' was launched by İş Bankası Publications (a publishing company of a state bank, İş Bankası) in 1935, and the first issue appeared on 15 July 1935. The founding

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

was a well-known Turkish novelist

Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu (also rendered Yakub Kadri; ; 27 March 1889 – 13 December 1974) was a Turkish novelist, journalist, diplomat, and member of parliament.Edebiyatogretmeni.net ''Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu'' Google translated' Biograp ...

who served in the post until 1938. He also became the publisher of the paper in 1936 through a publishing company he established. The contributors of ''Tan'' during this period included

Burhan Felek Burhan Felek (May 11, 1889 in Istanbul – November 4, 1982 in Istanbul) was a Turkish journalist, columnist, sportsperson and writer. He was born on May 11, 1889, in Istanbul. After graduating in 1910 from Istanbul Law School, later the Faculty ...

, Fikret Adil, Eşref Şefik, Refi Cevat Ulunay, Refik Halit,

Niyazi Berkes Niyazi Berkes (21 October 1908 – 18 December 1988) was a Turkish Cypriot sociologist. Early life and education Berkes was born in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, on 21 September 1908, shortly after the Young Turk Revolution in Turkey.

and

Ahmet Emin Yalman Ahmet Emin Yalman (1888–19 December 1972) was a Turkish people, Turkish journalist, author and professor. He was a liberal and opposed the spread of the Nazism, Nazi ideology in his home country. Early life and education Ahmet Emin Yalman was ...

. The latter contributed to the paper from 1936, and his writings were anti-Fascist and anti-Nazi. In 1938 the paper was closed down by the government for three months due to Yalman's articles in which he announced the deteriorating health of the

Turkish President The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national govern ...

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

. Following this incident Yalman left the paper. Then Zekeriya and Sabiha Sertel began to guide the paper, and Halil Lütfü Dördüncü funded it. Sertels adopted a critical approach against the government denouncing the slowness of the reform activities. The paper also openly criticized the

fascist ideology The history of fascist ideology is long and it draws on many sources. Fascists took inspiration from sources as ancient as the Spartans for their focus on racial purity and their emphasis on rule by an elite minority. Fascism has also been conne ...

that was popular at the period. As a result ''Tan'' became the most significant media outlet for leftists in Turkey. One of the contributors during this period was

Aziz Nesin Aziz Nesin (; born Mehmet Nusret, 20 December 1915 – 6 July 1995) was a Turkish writer, humorist and the author of more than 100 books. Born in a time when Turks did not have official surnames, he had to adopt one after the Surname Law of 1 ...

. On the other hand, ''Tans anti-Nazi political stance led to its boycott by major German companies which had investments in Turkey, including

Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...

and the

Daimler Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...

. In the period of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

''Tan'' sold 10,000-12,000 copies making it one of the three best selling newspapers in Turkey.

Hüseyin Cahit Yalçın Hüseyin Cahit Yalçın (7 December 1874 – 18 October 1957) was a prominent Turkish theorist, writer and politician. He is famous for being a dissident journalist, who has been put on trial and punished due to his columns. His publications defe ...

published an article in '' Tanin'' newspaper on 3 December 1945 calling for struggle against communism. Upon this nearly 20,000 university students attacked the headquarters of ''Tan'' in Cağaloğlu, Istanbul, on 4 December. In the attack the offices of the paper were destructed. Shortly after this incident, which is called the incident of 4 December and the Tan raid, ''Tan'' ceased publication.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tan 1935 establishments in Turkey 1945 disestablishments in Turkey Defunct newspapers published in Turkey Newspapers published in Istanbul Publications established in 1935 Publications disestablished in 1945 Turkish-language newspapers Daily newspapers published in Turkey