A respected pasha and the Commander of the 15th Army Corps who secured the eastern borders of the National Struggle. He provided historic assistance in the convening of the Erzurum Congress and the consolidation of Mustafa Kemal's leadership. However, in the stage of the Republic and reforms that followed military victories, he fell into violent disagreements with Mustafa Kemal regarding the administration of the state and the structure of the Parliament. As one of the pioneers of the Progressive Republican Party, he adopted an elitist approach that advocated for the guardianship of the army and conservative 'experts' over the parliament.
He managed to maintain a very powerful army corps by winning great victories against the Russians and Armenians in Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus. This military power made him an indispensable ally at the beginning of the National Struggle, but subsequently created in him the delusion that he had the right to rule over civil authority.
Stern-tempered, carries the traditions of an Ottoman pasha, wears a military uniform that conveys a sense of gravity.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
The savior leader whom he respected and supported in the past, but whom he feared and took a stand against as his goals (the Republic) became clear.
Rauf Bey (Hüseyin Rauf Orbay)
A civilian ally with whom he closed ranks against the new government (and İsmet Paşa) by standing shoulder to shoulder in the anti-republican and anti-reform opposition in parliament.