In 1916, it was decided that the building would be constructed as the clubhouse of the Committee of Union and Progress Party. The building was designed by the Foundation Architect Salim Bey, on the orders of the Minister of War Enver Pasha, and the construction work was given to the Military Architect İsmail Hasif Bey. İsmail Hasif Bey successfully completed a large part of the building, but due to the ongoing war, material shortages, and the closure of the Committee of Union and Progress Party, the roof and other sections could not be completed. The Mudros Armistice Period After the First World War, according to the terms of the Mudros Armistice, a group of British and French soldiers came to Ankara, and the commander of the French soldiers used the first room of this building, whose roof was partially unfinished, as an office. The Center of the National Struggle: Ankara Following Mustafa Kemal Pasha's arrival in Samsun on May 19, 1919, the Havza and Amasya Circulars were issued; The Erzurum and Sivas Congresses were held, and on December 27, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, along with the Assembly of Representatives, arrived in Ankara, choosing it as the center of the National Struggle.
Foreign troops left Ankara a few days before the occupation of Istanbul.
Occupation of Istanbul On March 16, 1920, Istanbul was officially occupied by the British, and on March 18, 1920, the Assembly of Representatives postponed its work until a more secure environment could be established. On March 19, 1920, Mustafa Kemal Pasha issued a circular stating, "A parliament where sovereignty belongs to the nation will be opened in Ankara." When the decision to open the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was made on April 23, 1920, it became clear that there was no building in Ankara large enough and equipped to house the Assembly. Under these circumstances, it was decided that the unfinished building of the Committee of Union and Progress Party would be used as the Assembly building; The people of Ankara, the soldiers of the 20th Corps in Ankara, and the Ankara Human Rights Association provided great support. Thus, the Assembly building was completed with tiles brought from the homes of the people of Ankara and obtained from the Numune School in Ulucanlar, and with the sacrifices of the people. Use of the Grand National Assembly Building of Turkey The building, which was used as the Grand National Assembly of Turkey between April 23, 1920, and October 15, 1924, later became the headquarters of the Republican People's Party. Also, the Faculty of Law, which was the foundation of Ankara University's Faculty of Law, was established here, and the building briefly housed the faculty. In 1957, work began on converting it into a museum by a decision of the Ministry of National Education Commission, and it was opened to the public on April 23, 1961, under the name "Grand National Assembly of Turkey Museum". War of Independence Museum (First Grand National Assembly Building) The museum, which took the name "War of Independence Museum" on April 23, 1981, currently serves within the Press, Publication and Public Relations Directorate of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
