| Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder
of the Turkish Republic and its first President, stands as
a towering figure of the 20th Century. Among the great leaders
of history, few have achieved so much in so short period,
transformed the life of a nation as decisively, and given
such profound inspiration to the world at large.
Emerging as a military hero at the Dardanelles
in 1915, he became the charismatic leader of the Turkish national
liberation struggle in 1919. He blazed across the world scene
in the early 1920s as a triumphant commander who crushed the
invaders of his country. Following a series of impressive
victories against all odds, he led his nation to full independence.
He put an end to the antiquated Ottoman dynasty whose tale
had lasted more than six centuries - and created the Republic
of Turkey in 1923, establishing a new government truly representative
of the nation's will.
As President for 15 years, until his death
in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced a broad range
of swift and sweeping reforms - in the political, social,
legal, economic, and cultural spheres - virtually unparalleled
in any other country.
His achievements in Turkey are an enduring
monument to Atatürk. Emerging nations admire him as a
pioneer of national liberation. The world honors his memory
as a foremost peacemaker who upheld the principles of humanism
and the vision of a united humanity. Tributes have been offered
to him through the decades by such world statesmen as Lloyd
George, Churchill, Roosevelt, Nehru, de Gaulle, Adenauer,
Bourguiba, Nasser, Kennedy, and countless others. A White
House statement, issued on the occasion of "The Atatürk
Centennial" in 1981, pays homage to him as "a great
leader in times of war and peace". It is fitting that
there should be high praise for Atatürk, an extraordinary
leader of modern times, who said in 1933: "I look to
the world with an open heart full of pure feelings and friendship".
"There are two Mustafa Kemals.
One is the flesh-and-bone Mustafa Kemal who now stands before
you and who will pass away. The other is you, all of you here
who will go to the far corners of our land to spread the ideals
which must be defended with your lives if necessary. I stand
for the nation's dreams, and my life's work is to make them
come true."
Atatürk stands as one of the world's
few historic figures who dedicated their lives totally to
their nations.
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Ataturk’s
Life in Brief
He was born in 1881 (probably in
the Spring) in Selanik, then an Ottoman city, now in Greece.
His father, Ali Riza, a customs official turned timber merchant,
died when Mustafa was still a boy. His mother, Zubeyde, a
devout and strong-willed woman, raised him and his sister.
First enrolled in a traditional religious school, he soon
switched to a modern school. In 1893, he entered a military
high school where his mathematics teacher gave him the second
name Kemal (meaning "perfection") in recognition
of young Mustafa's superior achievement. He was thereafter
known as Mustafa Kemal.
In 1905, Mustafa Kemal graduated from the
Military Academy in Istanbul with the rank of Staff Captain.
Posted in Damascus, he started, with several colleagues, a
clandestine society called "Homeland and Freedom"
to fight against the Sultan's despotism. Mustafa Kemal's career
flourished as he won fame and promotions because of his heroism
in the farflung corners of the Ottoman Empire, including Albania
and Tripoli. He also briefly served as a staff officer in
Selanik and Istanbul and as a military attache in Sofia.
When the Dardanelles campaign was launched
in 1915, Colonel Mustafa Kemal became a national hero by winning
successive vistories and finally repelling the invaders. Promoted
to general in 1916, at age 35, he liberated two major provinces
in eastern Antalia that year. In the next two years, he served
as commander of several Ottoman armies in Palestine and Aleppo,
achieving anotherr major victory by stopping the enemy advance
at Aleppo.
On May 19, 1919, Mustafa Kemal landed in the Black Sea port
of Samsun to start the War of Independence. In defiance of
the Sultan's government, he rallied a liberation army in Anatolia
and convened the Congresses of Erzurum and Sivas which established
the basis for the new national effort under his leadership.
On April 23, 1920, the Grand National Assembly was inaugurated.
Mustafa Kemal was elected to its Presidency.
Fighting on many fronts, he led his forces
to victory against rebels and invading armies. Following the
Turkish triumph at the two major battles at Inonu in Western
Turkey, the Grand National Assembly conferred on Mustafa Kemal
the title of Commander-in-Chief with the rank of Marshal.
At the end of August 1922, the Turkish armies won their ultimate
victory. Within a few weeks, the Turkish mainland was completely
liberated, the armistice signed, and the rule of the Ottoman
dynasty abolished.
In July 1923, the national government signed
the Lausanne Treaty with Great Britain, France, Greece, Italy
and others. In mid-October, Ankara became the capital of the
new Turkish State. On October 29, the Republic was proclaimed
and Mustafa Kemal Pasha was unanimously elected President
of the Republic.
The account of Atatürk's fifteen-year
presidency is a saga of dramatic modernization. With indefatigable
determination, he created a new political and legal system,
abolished the Caliphate and made both government and education
secular, gave equal rights to women, changed the alphabet
and advanced the arts, sciences, agriculture and industry.
In 1934, when the surname law was adopted, the national parliament
gave him the name "Atatürk" (Father of Turks).
On November 10, 1938, following an illness
of a few months, the national liberator and the Father of
modern Turkey died. His legacy to his people and to the world
endures.
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Some
of the Important Reforms
- Sultanate was abolished in 1922.
- With the proclomation of the Republic
on the 29th October, 1923, Caliphate was abolished. This
gave the pave to the disbandment of other theocratic institutions
on which Caliphate was founded.
- In place of the traditional head garment,
the fez, introduced under the rule of Sultan Mahmut II,
the Western style of hat was introduced together with an
overall revolution in dress (1925).
- The international calendar and time
were adopted (1925).
- Within a series of legal reforms Swiss
civil law was adapted to the conditions and needs of the
country (1926). The Civil Code, Penal Statute Book and the
Trade Law Book were introduced.
- The Latin alphabet was adopted (1928).
- The legal position of women and
their place in society in the new republic was greatly improved
(for example the active and passive voting right at national
and local elections before many European Countries.)
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