[PROPAGANDA - THE SYMBOLIC BUILDING OF THE REPUBLICAN TURKEY:] [Turkish Is Bank New Year Greetings Card signed by a branch manager].

Istanbul: Güzel Sanatlar Matbaasi A.S. [ca. 1975], 1975. Soft cover. Very Good. Original new year greetings card with an embossed printing 'Is Bank building' illustration in a futuristic style, with its embossed logo 'Is'. 17x12 cm. In Turkish. Folded leaflet. It includes a business card of branch manager attached into a folded leaflet. Signed by the manager of Ayaspasa Branch in Istanbul. Is Bank, or, Isbank is a commercial bank in Turkey. Following the culmination of World War I in 1918 and the subsequent dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, Turkey was declared a republic, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was elected by parliament as the first president of Turkey. Atatürk was quick to realize that the government needed a national bank to rebuild Turkey's economy following the debacle of the war. Türkiye Is Bankasi, the first truly national bank in the Turkish Republic was founded on 26 August 1924 at the First Economy Congress in Izmir. Atatürk appointed Celâl Bayar, his close aide, and then the Minister of Exchange Construction and Settlement as the president of the newly-formed bank. Isbank began operations with two branches and 37 staff under the leadership of Celal Bayar, its first general manager. The bank was established with a capital of 1 TL Million of which 250'000 TL was covered by Atatürk, and the rest by private investors. In 1927 the capital was raised by 2 Million TL so it could be merged with the National Credit Bank as equal partners.