Mustafa Kemal ATATÃœRK

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".Mustafa Kemal ATATÃœRK FOUNDER AND THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE TURKISH REPUBLICAtatürk was born in 1881 at the Kocakasim ward of Salonika, in a three story pink house located on Islahhane Street. His father is Ali Riza Efendi and his mother Zübeyde Hanim. His paternal grandfather, Hafiz Ahmed Efendi belonged to the Kocacik nomads who were settled in Macedonia during the XIV - XV th centuries. His mother Zübeyde Hanim was the daughter of an Old Turkish family who had settled in the town of Langasa near Salonika. Ali Riza Efendi, who worked as militia officer, title deed clerck and lumber trader, married Zübeyde Hanim in 1871. Four of the 5 siblings of Atatürk died at early ages and only one sister, Makbule (Atadan) survived, and lived until 1956.Upon reaching school age, little Mustafa started school at the neighborhood classes of Hafiz Mehmet Efendi and later, with his father’s choice, was transferred to Semsi Efendi School. He lost his father in 1888 where upon he stayed at the farm of his maternal uncle for a while and returned to Salonika to complete his studies. He registered at the Salonika Mülkiye Rüstiye (secondary school) and soon transferred to the military Rüstiye. While at this school, his math teacher, also named Mustafa, added "Kemal" to his name. He attended the Manastir Military School between 1896 - 1899 and later the Military School in Istanbul from which he graduated in 1902 with the rank of lieutenant. He later entered the Military Academy and graduated on January 11, 1905 with the rank of major. Between 1905 - 1907 he was stationed in Damascus with the 5th. Army. In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of "Kolagasi" (senior major) and was posted with the III rd Army , which was stationed in Manastir. He was the Staff Officer of the "Special Troops" (Hareket Ordusu) which entered Istanbul on April 19, 1909. He was sent to Paris in 1910 where he attended the Picardie manuevers. In 1911 he started to work at the General Staff Office in Istanbul. Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Tobruk and Derne regions with a group of his friends during the war which started with the Italian attack on Tripoli. He won the Tobruk battle in 22 December 1911 against the Italians. On March 6, 1912 he was made the Commander of Derne. When the Balkan War started in October 1912, Mustafa Kemal joined the battle with units from Gallipoli and Bolayir. His contributions to the recapturing of Dimetoka and Edirne were considerable. In 1913 he was assigned to Sofia as a military attache. In 1914, while still at this post, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His term as an attache ended in January 1915. By that time the First World War had started and the ottomon Empire was inevitably involved. Mustafa Kemal was posted to Tekirdag with the assignment of forming the 19th Division.Mustafa Kemal put his signature under a legend of heroism at Çanakkale during the First World War, which had started in 1914, and had the Allied Powers admit to the fact that "Çanakkale is unpassable!" On March 18, 1915 when the English and French navies in an attempt to force their way up the Çanakkale Strait gave heavy loses, they decided to put units on land at Gallipoli Peninsula. The enemy forces which landed at Ariburnu on 25 April 1915 were stopped by 19th Divison under Mustafa Kemal’s command at Conkbayiri. Mustafa Kemal was promoted to the rank of colonel after this victory. English forces attacked at Ar--burnu once more on 6-7 August 1915. Mustafa Kemal, as the Commander of the Anafartalar Forces won the Anafartalar Victory on 6-7 August 1915. This victory was followed by the victories of Kireçtepe on August 17, and the Second Anafartalar Victory on August 21. Turkish nation who lost about 253.000 men at battle, had managed to emerge in honour against the Allied forces. Actually the fate at trenches changed when Mustafa Kemal addressed his soldiers with the words "I am not giving you an order to attack, I am ordering you to die!" Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Edirne and Diyarbakir after the Çanakkale wars and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on 1 April 1916. He fought against the Russian forces and recaptured Mus and Bitlis. Following short assignments at Damascus and Khallepo, he came to Istanbul in 1917. He traveled to Germany with Vahdettin Efendi, the heir to the throne. He became sick after this trip and went to Vienna and Karisbad for treatment. He returned to Khalleppo on 15 August 1918 as the Commander of the 7th army. At this front, he fought successful defence wars. He was appointed as the Commandar of Yildirim Armies one day after the signing of the armistice at Mondros. When this army was disbanded, he came to Istanbul on November 13, 1918 and started to work at the Ministry of Defence. When, following the Mondros Armistice, the Allied forces started to take over the Ottoman armies, Mustafa Kemal went to Samsun on May 19, 1919 as 9th Army Inspector. With the circular he published on 22 June 1919 at Amasya, he declared that " The freedom of the nation shall be restored with the resolve and determination of the nation itself" and called the meeting of the Sivas Congress.He convened Erzurum Congress during 23 July - 7 August 1919 and Sivas Congress during 4 - 11 September 1919, thus defining the path to be followed towards the freedom of the motherland. He was met with great enthusiasm in Ankara on 27 December 1919. With the initiation of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 23 April 1920, a significant step was taken on the way to establishing the Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal was elected as the head of the national assembly as well as the head of the government. The Grand National Assembly started to put into effect the necessary legislative measures so as to enable the Independence War to come to a successful conclusion. Turkish War of Independence started with the first bullet shot at enemy on 15 May 1919 during the Gerek occupation of Izmir. The fight against the victors of the First World War who had divided up the Ottoman Empire with the Treaty of Sevres signed on 10 August 1920, initially started with the militia forces called Kuva-yi Milliye. Turkish Assembly later initiated a regular army and achieving integration between the army and the militia, was able to conclude the war in victory.The significant stages of the Turkish War of Independence under the Command of Mustafa Kemal are • Recapturing Sarikamis, Kars and Gümrü • Çukurova, Gazi Antep, Kahramanmaras, Sanli Urfa defenses (1919 - 1921) • Ist Inönü Victory • IInd Inönü Victory • Sakarya Victory • Great Attack, Battle of the Chief Commander and the Great Victory After the Sakarya Victory, National Assembly bestowed the rank of marashal on Mustafa Kemal and the Gazi (veteran) title. War of Independences came to end with the Lozanne Agreement, which was signed on 24 July 1923. Hence, there were no longer any obstacles to create a new nation on Turkish soil which Treaty of Sevre had torn to pieces leaving Turks an area the size of 5-6 provinces.The National Assembly which first convened on 23 April 1920 in Ankara was the first clue to the Turkish Republic. The successful management of the War of Independence by this assembly accelerated the founding of the new Turkish State. On 1 November 1922, the offices of the Sultan and caliph were severed from one other and the former was abolished. There was no longer any administrative ties with the Ottoman Empire. On 29 October 1923, Turkish Republic was formally proclaimed and Atatürk was unanimously elected as its first President. On 30 October 1923, the first government of the Republic was formed by Ismet Inönü. Turkish Republic started to grow on the foundations of the twin principles "Sovereignty, unconditionally belongs to the nation" and "peace at home, peace in the world,"Atatürk undertook a series of reforms to "raise Turkey to the level of modern civilization" which can be grouped under five titles 1. Political Reforms • Abolishment of the office of the Sultan (November 1922) • Proclamation of the Republic (29 October 1923) • Abolishment of the caliph (3 March 1924) 2. Social Reforms • Recognition of equal rights to men and women (1926 - 1934) • Reform of Headgear and Dress (25 November 1925) • Closure of mausoleums and dervish lodges (30 November 1925) • Law on family names (21 June 1934) • Abolishment of titles and by-names (26 November 1934) • Adoption of international calendar, hours and measurements (1925 - 1931) 3. Legal Reforms • Abolishment of the Canon Law (1924 - 1937) • Transfer to a secular law structure by adoption of Turkish Civil Code and other laws (1924 - 1937) 4. Reforms in the fields of education and culture • Unification of education (3 March 1924) • Adoption of new Turkish alphabet (1 November 1928) • Establishment of Turkish Language and History Institutions (1931 - 1932) • Regulation of the university education (31 May 1933) • Innovations in fine arts 5. Economic Reforms • Abolution of tithe • Encouragement of the farmers • Establishment of model farms • Establishment of industrial facilities, and putting into effect a law for Incentives for the Industry • Putting into effect Ist and IInd Development Plans (1933-1937), to develop transportation networks Acccording to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish Grand Assembly gave "Atatürk" (Father of Turks) as last name to Mustafa Kemal on 24 November 1934. Atatürk was elected as the Speaker of the Grand Assembly on 24 April 1920 and again on 13 August 1923. This was a position equal to that of the president as well as the prime minister. Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923 and Atatürk was elected as the first President. Elections for President were renewed every four years according to the Constitution. In 1927, 1931 and 1935 Turkish Grand Assembly again elected Atatürk as the president. Atatürk took frequent trips around the country and inspected locally the works undertaken by the state, giving directives were problems were faced. As president he was host to visiting foreign presidents, prime ministers and ministers.He read his Great Speech, which covers the War of Independence and the founding of the Republic on 15 - 20 October 1927, and his 10th Year Speech on 29 October 1933. Atatürk led a very simple private life. He married Latife Hanim on 29 January 1923. They took many trips to different parts of the country together. This marriage lasted until 5 August 1925. A great lover of children he adopted girls named Afet (Inan), Sabiha (Gökçen), Fikriye, Ãœlkü, Nebile, Rukiye and Zehra and a shepperd boy named Mustafa. He also took two boys called Abdurrahim and Ihsan under his protection. He provided for the futures of these children who survived. He donated his farms to the Treasury in 1937 and some of his real estate to municipalities of Ankara and Bursa. He divided his inheritance among his sister, his adopted children and to the Turkish History and Language Institutions. He enjoyed books and music as well as dancing, horse riding and swimming. He was extremely interested in Zeybek dances, wrestling and the Rumelia folk songs. Games of billards and backgammon gave him great pleasure. He valued his horse Sakarya and his dog Fox . He had a rich library. He used to invite statesman, scholars and artists to dinners where the problems of the country were discussed. He was particular about his appearence and enjoyed dressing well. He was also a lover of nature. He used to frequent the Atatürk Forest Farm and join in the work.He knew French and German. Atatürk died on 10 November 1938 at 9.05 A.M at Dolmabahçe Palace, defeated by the liver ailment he was suffering from. He was taken to his temporary place of rest at the Ethnograpy Museum in Ankara on 21 November 1938. When the mausoleum was completed, he was taken to his permanent rest place with a grand ceremony on 10 November 1953.HIS LIFE"There are two Mustafa Kemals. One the flesh-and-blood 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. He was born in 1881 (probably in the spring) in Salonica, then an Ottoman city, now in Greece. His father Ali Riza, a customs official turned lumber 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 War 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. In 1908 he helped the group of officers who toppled the Sultan. Mustafa Kemal’s career flourished as he won his heroism in the far corners of the Ottoman Empire, including Albania and Tripoli. He also briefly served as a staff officer in Salonica and Istanbul and as a military attache in Sofia. In 1915, when Dardanelles campaign was launched, Colonel Mustafa Kemal became a national hero by winning successive victories and finally repelling the invaders. Promoted to general in 1916, at age 35, he liberated two major provinces in eastern Turkey that year. In the next two years, he served as commander of several Ottoman armies in Palestine, Aleppo, and elsewhere, achieving another major victory by stopping the enemy advance at Aleppo.On May 19, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Pasha 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 Congress 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 Pasha 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 Pasha 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. Atatürk married Latife Usakligil in early 1923. The marriage ended in divorce in 1925. 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 the attire, and advanced the arts and the sciences, agriculture and industry. In 1934, when the surname law was adopted, the national parliament gave him the name "Atatürk" (Father of the Turks). On November 10, 1938, following an illness of a few months, the national liberator and the Father of modern Turkey died. But his legacy to his people and to the world endures.Atatürk Hero FileMustafa Kemal Atatürk Atatürk translates to ’Father of the Turks’ or ’Father Turk’. Country: Turkey (former Ottoman Empire). Cause: Creation of the Republic of Turkey. Background: The Ottoman Empire is founded in Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey, during the 14th Century. From a small geographical base the empire quickly expands. At its zenith it incorporates Anatolia, the Balkan states, Bulgaria, Greece, the Middle East, Hungary, North Africa up to the Moroccan frontier, Kurdistan and Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), Armenia and Azerbaijan.Fortune turns at the end of the 17th Century when the Ottomans are forced to relinquish Hungary. The empire’s long slide to oblivion has begun. By the middle of the 19th Century it has become the "sick man of Europe". Abdül Hamid II becomes sultan of the empire in 1876. He quickly implements political reforms but within a year has the newly introduced constitution suspended and the empire’s first parliament dissolved. Dissatisfaction with his reign starts to mount in the empire’s colonial outposts and at home. Mini biography: Born on 12 March 1881 in Salonika, now Thessaloníki, in present-day Greece. He is given the single name Mustafa. His father, Ali Riza Efendi, is a minor official in the Ottoman Government. He is one of six children, although four of his five siblings die at early ages. His one surviving sister, Makbule (Atadan), lives until 1956. Following his father’s death in 1888, Atatürk enrols at the Salonika military cadet school. While at this school he is given the second name Kemal (meaning ’perfection’), and is thereafter known as Mustafa Kemal. In 1896 he is accepted into the military high school at Monastir (now Bitola in the present-day Macedonia). In 1899, after completing his training at Monastir, Atatürk enters the military college in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. 1902 - Atatürk’s graduates from the Istanbul military college with the rank of captain. He then enters the Istanbul military academy. 1905 - Atatürk graduates from the military academy with the rank of major on 11 January. He will be assigned to a succession of staff positions, starting in 1905 with a post in the 5th Army at Damascus, the capital of Syria. In 1907 he is promoted to senior major and posted to the 3rd Army in Salonika. While serving in these positions he becomes involved in the growing Turkish nationalist movement, organising a secret society called ’Vatan ve Hürriyet’ (Fatherland and Freedom) among fellow officers. 1907 - Atatürk’s group merges with others opposed to Abdül Hamid’s reign to form the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), popularly known as the ’Young Turks’. 1908 - Abdül Hamid is forced to yield when army units in Macedonia rebel. The 1876 constitution and parliamentary rule are reinstated on 24 July. At elections held in November, the CUP wins all but one of the Turkish seats, confirming its hold on government. Political instability in the Ottoman Empire following the Young Turk revolution gives foreign powers the opportunity to seize occupied territory. Austria annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bulgaria proclaims its complete independence. Italy invades Libya in 1911, taking the capital Tripoli and other port towns. In 1912 the empire loses all its European territory except part of eastern Thrace bordering Greece and Bulgaria. 1911 - After serving briefly on the general staff in Istanbul, Atatürk travels to Libya to organise irregular forces in the war with Italy. He successfully defends Tobruk and on 6 March 1912 is made the commander of the region around the Libyan city of Darnah.1912 - The CUP wins an overwhelming majority in fresh elections held in April, but military losses to Italy see its support quickly dwindle. In July it is forced to yield office to a political coalition called the Liberal Union. Atatürk holds field commands in the two Balkan wars (1912-13). During the Second Balkan War in 1913 he is made the chief-of-staff of the army in the Gallipoli Peninsula. On 27 October 1913 he is assigned as a military attaché to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. While in this post he is promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. 1913 - The Liberal Union government is overthrown on 23 January in a coup d’état engineered by CUP leaders Ahmet Cemal Pasha and Ismail Enver Pasha. The CUP takes control of the empire, introducing a military dictatorship headed by the so-called ’Three Pashas’ - Cemal, Enver and Mehmet Talat Pasha. 1914 - The countdown to the First World War begins on 28 June. The Ottomans quickly side with the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) against the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia), with Enver signing a defensive alliance with Germany against the Russians on 2 August. Germany declares war on France the following day. Britain in turn declares war on Germany on 14 August. The First World War has begun. The Ottomans formally enter the war on 28 October but suffer a disastrous defeat almost immediately. Most of the Third Army is lost in eastern Anatolia in December during an abortive offensive led by Enver against Russia, where Ottoman Armanians took arms against their own goverment and joined forces with Russians. (More information about Armenian issue can be found at this link.) 1915 - The Triple Entente launches an operation to seize Istanbul and open a route to Russia by forcing a fleet through the Dardanelles Strait (Çanakkale Boiazi), the entry to the Sea of Marmara and a gateway to Istanbul, which lies on the sea’s northeastern shore. But the naval attack fails and is quickly called off. On 25 April the Triple Entente begins a new assault to secure the Dardanelles. Troops are landed on the beach at Gallipoli and ordered to move forward. On the hills above the infantry troops of the 19th Division, the main reserve of the Turkish 5th Army, are commanded by Atatürk. He rallies the Turkish soldiers and is able to hold the Triple Entente forces at bay. "I am not giving you an order to attack," Atatürk tells his troops, "I am ordering you to die!" The ill-fated Gallipoli campaign, which includes troops from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (the ANZACs), results in the deaths of over 200,000 Triple Entente soldiers for no effective gain. It is abandoned by the Triple Entente in the autumn. The Turkish victory has come at the cost of about 253,000 lives. Referring to the campaign, Atatürk later says, "Indeed, it was not easy to shoulder such responsibility, but as I had decided not to live to see my country’s destruction, I accepted it proudly." In tribute to the enemy troops killed at Gallipoli he writes, "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours. ... You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well." Atatürk is now promoted to the rank of full colonel and given the honorific title ’Pasha’ - the highest official title of honour in the Ottoman Empire. 1916 - In the south, the ’Arab Revolt’, directed by British Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), spells the end of Ottoman influence in the Middle East.Meanwhile, Atatürk is promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general on 1 April. He takes command of the Eastern Front, checking the advance of the Russian forces. When Russia leaves the war following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 the Ottoman Empire regains its eastern provinces. 1917 - British forces drive the Ottomans out of Mesopotamia and take Palestine and Syria. Late in the campaign Atatürk takes command of Ottoman forces in Syria and withdraws many units intact into Anatolia. He also heads the 7th Army in Palestine during the final offensive that defeats the Ottoman forces there in 1918. 1918 - The First World War is drawing to a close. The empire capitulates and signs an armistice on 30 October. The CUP Cabinet resigns en mass on 1-2 November. Cemal, Enver and Talat flee into exile in Germany on 1 November. The First World War ends on 11 November with the signing of a general armistice. Atatürk returns to Istanbul on 13 November and is assigned to a post in the Ministry of Defence. The capital is occupied on 13 November. 1919 - British, French, Italian, and Greek forces occupy other regions of the empire, and Sultan Mehmet VI is taken into custody to ensure the cooperation of what remains of the Ottoman government. Cemal, Enver and Talat are tried in absentia by a Turkish military tribunal (which was pressured from victorious Allied states), found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death (On April 4, 1919, Lewis Heck, the U.S. high commissioner in Istanbul, reported that "it is popularly believed that many of [the trials] are made from motives of personal vengeance or at the instigation of the Entente authorities, especially the British."). The charges included subversion of the constitution, wartime profiteering, and the massacres of both Greeks and Armenians.Meanwhile, as the occupational forces start to press for the carve-up of the Ottoman Empire, based on agreements made between them during the war, a new nationalist Turkish movement begins to coalesce around Atatürk. After expressing opposition to the presence of the occupation forces on Turkish territory, Atatürk is assigned as Inspector to the 9th Army in Erzurum in eastern Anatolia. On 15 May the Greek Army lands at the Turkish port of Izmir (Smyrna), on the Anatolian coast. Atatürk leaves Istanbul for Anatolia the next day. On 19 May he arrives at Black Sea port of Samsun, 300 km northeast of Ankara. The date marks the unofficial beginning of the ’Turkish War of Independence’. Working with others committed to Turkish independence, Atatürk begins to recruit a nationalist army to drive the occupational forces from Anatolia and ensure that all Ottoman territory inhabited by a Turkish Muslim majority is held together in an independent Turkish state. On 22 June Atatürk issues the ’Amasya Declaration’ calling for national resistance against the invasion of foreign powers. "The freedom of the nation shall be restored with the resolve and determination of the nation itself," the declaration states.The next day the Ottoman Government strips him of all his official functions. Atatürk resigns from the army on 8 July and declares himself "a private individual". On 30 July the Ottoman Government orders his arrest. At congresses held in Erzurum from 23 July to 7 August and at Sivas from 4-11 September the nationalists formulate and agree to a ’National Pact’ setting out their objectives. "The national movement’s real and definitive reason is the events that occurred in Izmir, and the threat of Armenian invasion," Atatürk tells United States representatives in Istanbul on 3 August. 1920 - Atatürk begins the year by calling for a national protest against the Greek attempt to annex Izmir, and against atrocities allegedly carried out by the French and Armenians in Turkey’s southern provinces. When the Ottoman parliament agrees to the National Pact on 28 January the occupation forces crack down, arresting and deporting many nationalists and dismissing the parliament. Istanbul is reoccupied on 16 March. On 23 April the nationalist’s governing council, the Grand National Assembly, meets in Ankara and elects Atatürk as its leader and the head of its provisional government. The War of Independence now begins in earnest, centring on Anatolia, where Greek troops have moved inland from Izmir. At the same time, the Atatürk nationalists and the Russian Bolshevik government target the newly proclaimed Armenian republic on Turkey’s eastern border. By the middle of 1921 the Armenian resistance has been broken and the Kars region occupied by the Turks. What remains of Armenia is absorbed into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Meanwhile, on 11 April the Ottoman Parliament is abolished and Atatürk is condemned to death by a religious decree. On 11 May the Ottoman Military Court also sentences Atatürk to death. On 10 August the Ottoman Government ratifies the Sevres Treaty partitioning Turkey between the occupying powers. The treaty is rejected by the Grand National Assembly on 1 March 1921. 1921 - By the middle of the year the Greek advance into Anatolia has been stopped. By October, French and Italian troops have been withdraw from Anatolia.On 5 August Atatürk is appointed by the Grand National Assembly as commander-in-chief of the entire Turkish forces. On 23 August the Turks launch a counterattack against the Greeks at Sakarya, 80 km southwest of Ankara. Atatürk takes personal command of the Turkish forces. At the end of the 22-day battle the Greeks have been defeated and forced to retreat to Izmir. In recognition of his military achievements, Atatürk is given the rank of marshal and title Ghazi (victorious) by the Grand National Assembly on 19 September. 1922 - The most controversial campaign of the War of Independence occurs in early September when the nationalists move into Izmir during their final push against the Greeks. Much of the city, which is home to the last intact Armenian community in Anatolia, is burnt to the ground in fires variously reported to have been lit by either the retreating Greeks or Armenians. Thousands of Greeks and Armenians die and thousands more flee into permanent exile. The theatre of the war against the Greeks now moves to eastern Thrace, however fighting is avoided when Atatürk accepts a British-proposed truce. On 11 October the occupying forces sign an armistice with the Turkish military. On 1 November, the Grand National Assembly effectively abolishes the Ottoman Empire, opening the way for the final negotiations on the shape of the new Turkish state. 1923 - On 30 January Greece and Turkey sign an agreement for the exchange of the remaining ethnic populations within their respective territories. Under the agreement over one million Greek Turks will be forced to leave regions they have occupied for generations and return to their homeland. The negotiations on the shape of Turkey conclude on 24 July with the ratification of the Treaty of Lausanne and the recognition of Turkey’s present-day borders. Signatories to the treaty include Turkey, Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania and Serbo-Croat-Slovenian Union. The occupying forces leave Istanbul on 2 October.On 29 October the Grand National Assembly proclaims the Republic of Turkey. Atatürk is named president and Ankara the capital. Atatürk now moves to implement a series of far-ranging reforms designed to transform Turkey into a modern, secular state. "Following the military triumph we accomplished by bayonets, weapons and blood, we shall strive to win victories in such fields as culture, scholarship, science, and economics," he states. "The enduring benefits of victories depend only on the existence of an army of education." Islamic Sharia law is abolished (1924) and a European-style legal system introduced (1926). Women are granted equal status (1934). Polygamy and divorce by renunciation are ended and civil marriage allowed (1926). A new Turkish alphabet based on Latin replaces Arabic script (1928). Arabic and Persian words are dropped from the vocabulary and replaced with Turkish equivalents. The Western calendar is adopted (1925). The Western numeric system is introduced (1928), followed by the metric system (1931). Turks are encouraged to abandon traditional clothing for Western styles (1925), and to adopt surnames (1934). Turkey is declared a secular state without an official religion (1928). Islam is suppressed, religious schools are closed (1924), public education is secularised and made coeducational, and the day of rest is changed from Friday to Sunday (1935). The Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul is converted into a museum. Education to primary level is made compulsory. Atatürk himself leads some classes. In 1923 the level of literacy had been less than 9%. By 1938 the level has risen to more than 33%. As well as political reforms, Atatürk also encourages reforms to the economic system, stating, "National sovereignty should be supported by financial independence. The only power that will propel us to this goal is the economy. No matter how mighty they are, political and military victories cannot endure unless they are crowned by economic triumphs." The ideology behind the reforms comes to be know as Kemalism (later known as Atatürkism). Its basic principals - republicanism, nationalism, populism, reformism, etatism (statism), and secularism - are know as the ’Six Arrows’. Together with the basic principals of Kemalism are the complimentary principles - national sovereignty, national independence, national unity and togetherness, peace at home peace abroad, modernisation, scientificism and rationalism, and humanitarianism.The Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi - CHP) founded by Atatürk in August provides a political foundation for the ongoing Kemalist reforms. It will be Turkey’s sole political party for over 20 years. Meanwhile, Atatürk’s mother dies on 14 January 1923. On 29 January Atatürk marries Latife Hanim, the daughter of a prosperous merchant from Izmir. A well-educated and outspoken woman, she is 20 years his junior. The marriage ends in divorce in on 5 August 1925. Atatürk also adopts eight children - seven girls and a boy. 1924 - The Grand National Assembly introduces a new constitution establishing it as a unicameral parliament elected to four-year terms by a universal vote. The president, who is to be elected to a four-year term by the assembly, will appoint the prime minister. On 1 March, Atatürk tells the assembly, "There is a need to separate Islam from its traditional place in politics and to elevate it in its appropriate place. This is necessary for both the nation’s worldly and spiritual happiness. We have to urgently and definitively relieve our sacred and holy beliefs and values from the dark and uncertain stage of political greed and of politics. This is the only way to elevate the Muslim religion." Two days later, the Sharia legal system is abolished, along with the religious education system. 1925 - On 25 February the Grand National Assembly prohibits all religious activities in politics. In March, after an uprising against the "godless" government in Ankara breaks out in the Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey, Atatürk hastily organises the passage of the Maintenance of Order Law. The law, which gives the government emergency powers for the next four years and allows it to outlaw organisations it deems to be subversive, will be used to suppress opponents of Atatürk’s reforms. 1926 - Atatürk oversees the dissolution of the CUP after some its remaining members are accused of plotting his assassination. Following an investigation into the plot, 15 of Atatürk’s political opponents are hanged. Others are sent into exile.1927 - Atatürk is reelected as president. He will remain in the position right up to his death, with his term being extended in 1931 and 1935. 1928 - Turkey is declared a secular state on 10 April. Islam is dropped as the state’s official religion. 1931 - Atatürk establishes the Turkish Historical Society. 1932 - Turkey joins the League of Nations, the forerunner to the United Nations (UN), on 18 July. 1934 - Women are given the vote and the right to hold office. Speaking at a meeting of the International Women’s Congress in Istanbul on 22 April 1935, Atatürk says, "I am convinced that the exercise of social and political rights by women is necessary for mankind’s happiness and pride. You can rest assured that Turkish women together with world’s women will work towards world peace and security."On 24 November 1934 Atatürk is given his new surname (meaning ’Father of the Turks’ or ’Father Turk’) by the Grand National Assembly in recognition of his contribution to the formation of the modern Turkish state. He is now known as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Kemal Atatürk. 1935 - The role of the state in managing economy is written into the constitution. 1938 - Atatürk dies from cirrhosis of the liver at 9.05 am on 10 November at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. The entire country mourns his passing. On 21 November his body is transported to Ankara and placed in a temporary tomb at the Ethnography Museum. On 10 November 1953 Atatürk’s remains are interred in a newly completed mausoleum on a hill overlooking Ankara. The day after Atatürk’s death, the Grand National Assembly elects his chief lieutenant, Ismet Inönü, as the second president of Turkey. Postscript 1945 - Turkey becomes one of the 51 original members of the UN. 1946 - The Democrat Party (DP) is officially recognised. Turkey is now a multiparty state. 1950 - The DP wins elections held in May, ending the dominance of Atatürk’s CHP. 1954 - The DP increases it’s majority at the elections but subsequently comes under attack from the CHP for restricting the freedom of the press. 1960 - The DP Government imposes martial law. On 27 May, army units under the direction of the chief of general staff, General Cemal Gürsel, stage a coup. The president and prime minister are arrested, along with most of the DP representatives in the Grand National Assembly. They are charged with abrogating the constitution and instituting a dictatorship. The government is replaced by the Committee of National Unity (CNU), composed of the 38 officers who had organised the coup. 1961 - A new constitution is introduced, setting the ground-rules for Turkey’s so-called Second Republic. Elections for the country’s new bicameral parliament are held in October. 1980 - Political instability presses the military to again take over the government on 12 September. The constitution is redrafted in 1982. Civilian rule returns at the end of 1983. Comment: Atatürk knew there is no place for religious fundamentalists in the governance of a tolerant, modern state. Religious fanatics from all nations and faiths would do well to heed of his observations. For example this: "It is claimed that religious unity is also a factor in the formation of nations. Whereas, we see the contrary in the Turkish nation. Turks were a great nation even before they adopted Islam. This religion did not help the Arabs, Iranians, Egyptians and others to unite with Turks to form a nation. Conversely, it weakened the Turks’ national relations; it numbed Turkish national feelings and enthusiasm. This was natural, because Mohammedanism was based on Arab nationalism above all nationalities."And this: "I am not leaving a spiritual legacy of dogmas, unchangeable petrified directives. My spiritual legacy is science and reason. ... What I wanted to do and what I tried to achieve for the Turkish nation is quite evident. If those people who wish to follow me after I am gone take the reason and science as their guides they will be my true spiritual heirs." And this: "You know there is an unforgiving enmity between the societies of the Muslim world and the masses of the Christian world. Muslims became eternal enemies of Christians, and Christians those of Muslims. They viewed each other as nonbelievers, fanatics. The two worlds coexisted with this fanaticism and enmity. As a result of this enmity, the Muslim world was distanced from the Western progress that took a new form and colour every century. Because, Muslims viewed progress with disdain and disgust. At the same time, the Muslim world had to hold on to its arms as a result of this enmity that lasted for centuries between the two groups. This continuous occupation with arms, enmity, and disdain for Western progress constitute another important cause of our regression." Source: Heroes of the 20th Century at www.moreorless.au.com/heroes/powered by : R.Burak ÃœNAL ®