Summary
Prime Minister of Turkey when the Wealth Tax was imposed in 1942. Segment 04.03 mentions him alongside President İsmet İnönü in its account of the government under which the tax was enacted. In segment 05.06 he is mentioned as the prime minister whom İnönü, according to the account, ordered to forgive the Wealth Tax debts.
Şükrü Saraçoğlu – Turkish Statesman During the Second World War
Mehmet Şükrü Saraçoğlu (1887–1953) was a Turkish statesman who served as Prime Minister of Turkey from 1942 to 1946, after holding several senior positions in the government of the Turkish Republic. He was born in Ödemiş, near İzmir, studied at the School of Political Sciences in Istanbul, and continued his education in Belgium and Geneva.
After returning to Turkey, Saraçoğlu became involved in the Turkish national movement during the Turkish War of Independence and was elected to represent İzmir in the parliament. During his political career, he served, among other positions, as Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Foreign Minister from 1938 to 1942, he was involved in Turkey’s foreign relations during the tense period preceding the Second World War.
In 1942, following the death of Prime Minister Refik Saydam, Saraçoğlu was appointed Prime Minister. His government operated during the difficult years of the Second World War, when Turkey sought to maintain a cautious foreign policy and avoid direct involvement in the conflict. Turkey remained neutral for most of the war and declared war on Germany and its allies only in February 1945.
After leaving the premiership, Saraçoğlu continued his public career. In 1948, he was elected Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), a position he held until May 1950. Following the change of government that year, he withdrew from political life.
Saraçoğlu died in Istanbul on 27 December 1953. He was therefore one of the prominent figures of Turkey’s political establishment during the transition from the War of Independence and the early years of the Republic to the turbulent period of the Second World War.
Names and spelling variants
Şükrü Saracoğlu; Sukru Saracoglu
Mentioned in the book
Chapter Four – Bashhalan; segment 04.03 – The Wealth Tax; Chapter Five – Military Service; segment 05.06 – Bridges
Research note
The historical identification corresponds to Şükrü Saracoğlu, prime minister of Turkey during the Wealth Tax.