Kemal Ataturk

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Kemal Atatürk , 1881–1938, Turkish leader, founder of modern Turkey. He took the name in 1934 in place of his earlier name, Mustafa Kemal, when he ordered all Turks to adopt a surname; it is made up of the Turkish words Ata and Türk [father of the Turks].

Military Career

Born at Thessaloníki, he secretly applied to a military academy, where his excellence at mathematics won him the surname Kemal [the perfect]. As an officer he joined the Young Turks, a liberal movement that sought to establish a constitutional government for the Ottoman Empire , although he disagreed with its pro-German policy, because he considered Turkish interests to be paramount. In 1908 he took part in the successful Young Turk revolution as chief of staff of Enver Pasha , whom he later opposed over the German issue.

He served in Libya (1911–12) and in the Second Balkan War (1913). In World War I his efficient work in the Dardanelles, on the Armenian front, and in Palestine, though it merely helped to postpone disaster, won him the title pasha. After the Ottomans capitulated to the Allies, Sultan Muhammad VI sent Kemal to E Anatolia, hoping to limit his influence.

Arriving in May, 1919, Kemal organized the Turkish Nationalist party and began to form an army. When the Turks were aroused by the Greek landing at Smyrna (now Izmir ) he convened nationalist congresses at Erzurum (July, 1919) and Sivas (Sept.). Outlawed by the sultan, who was in the hands of the Allies in Constantinople, he set up a rival government at Ankara. The signing of the Treaty of Sèvres by the Constantinople government made the split with Ankara final.

With the tacit consent of Soviet Russia, Kemal retook Kars and Ardahan from Armenia (1920). Then, taking advantage of disagreements among the Allies, he expelled the Greeks from Anatolia in a brilliant campaign (1921–22). For his victory he received the official name Ghazi [victorious]. On Nov. 1, 1922, Kemal proclaimed the abolition of the sultanate, and Sultan Muhammad VI fled to a British warship. The Treaty of Lausanne (1923; see Lausanne, Treaty of ) was a triumph for the nationalist cause; an independent and sovereign Turkey was recognized by the European powers.

President of Turkey

In 1923 Kemal was elected president of the new Turkish republic. He was reelected in 1927, 1931, and 1935—always by a unanimous parliament. With enormous energy he set out on a program of internal reform and "Westernization" ; 15 years of his rule changed Turkey in the essential as well as the most minute aspects of its life (see Turkey ). Although a dictator, Kemal tolerated limited opposition; but he was ruthless toward those he considered extremists. Regarding Islam as a conservative force, he abolished (1924) the caliphate (thereby disestablishing Islam as the state religion) and crippled religious opposition to reform.

Abroad, he pursued a policy of conciliation and neutrality. He established friendly relations with Turkey's neighbors, particularly the Soviet Union, helped to bring about the Balkan Entente , and freed Turkey from foreign influence, though it meant refusing capital investment for industrialization of the country. On his death he was succeeded as president by Ismet Inönü. In 1953 his remains were transferred to a new mausoleum in Ankara. He remains the object of cultlike devotion by many Turks.

Bibliography

See biographies by H. E. Wortham (1931), H. Froembgen (tr. 1937), Lord Kinross (1966), V. D. Volkan and N. Itzkowitz (1984), F. Tachau (1987), A. Mango (2002), and M. S. Hanioglu (2011); G. Renda and C. M. Kortpeter, ed., The Transformation of Turkish Culture: The Atatürk Legacy (1986).

Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal ( ‘Father of the Turks’) (b. 12 Mar. 1881, d. 10 Nov. 1938). Founder and President of the Republic of Turkey 1923–38 Born in Saloniki, he became an officer in the army of the Ottoman Empire, and soon began to concern himself with his country's internal divisions and weaknesses. He participated in the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, and distinguished himself in the defeat of the Italian army at Tripoli (1911), and as the defender of the Dardanelles in World War I. In 1919, he became army commander in Anatolia. There, at the port of Samson on the Black Sea, in May 1919, he began his campaign to liberate the country from continuing Allied military control and Greek occupation in the west. In the following months he rallied the various movements for Turkish liberation around his leadership, so that on 23 April 1920 he was able to convene a Turkish Grand National Assembly, which elected him Chairman and head of government.

His victorious army reclaimed the Greek-occupied areas in Asia Minor in 1922. In 1923 he concluded the Treaty of Lausanne, whereby Turkey's European possessions were extended, international control of Istanbul ended, and its control over Asia Minor and parts of Armenia confirmed. He then dissolved the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed the Republic of Turkey. In the fifteen years of his rule, he carried out a remarkable programme of ‘Westernization’. The Roman alphabet replaced Arabic writing, the state became exclusively secular, monogamous marriages were introduced, and education was secularized. In foreign policy, he committed his country to international neutrality. He strengthened the new state through reforms in army and administration, but twice failed to introduce a multi-party democracy, as he discovered that this would produce a majority for those parties which opposed his reforms and thus threaten his state. His energy, drive, and authority ensured that his reforms created a lasting foundation for the Turkish state. In 1934 he was given the title ‘Atatürk’ by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

Atatürk, (Mustafa) Kemal (1881–1938) Turkish general and statesman, first president (1923–38) of the Turkish republic. As a young soldier he joined the Young Turks and was chief of staff to Enver Pasha in the successful revolution (1908). He fought against the Italians in Tripoli (1911) and defended Gallipoli in the Balkan Wars. During World War I he led resistance to the Allies' Gallipoli Campaign. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the capitulation of the sultan persuaded Mustafa Kemal to organize the Turkish Nationalist Party (1919) and set up a rival government in Ankara. The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) forced him on the offensive. His expulsion of the Greeks from Asia Minor (1921–22) led the sultan to flee Istanbul. The Treaty of Lausanne (1923) saw the creation of a independent republic. His dictatorship undertook sweeping reforms, which transformed Turkey into a secular, industrial nation. In 1934 he adopted the title Atatürk (Turkish, father of the Turks). He was succeeded by Ismet Inönü.

http://www.ataturk.com

Atatürk, Kemal (or Kemal Pasha; born Mustafa Kemal) (1881–1938) Turkish general and statesman, President (1923–38). Leader of the postwar Turkish Nationalist Party, he was elected President of a provisional government in 1920. With the official establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923, he was elected its first President, taking the name of Atatürk (Turkish for ‘father of the Turks’) in 1934. During his presidency he introduced many political and social reforms, including the abolition of the caliphate, the adoption of the Roman alphabet for writing Turkish, and other policies designed to make Turkey a modern secular state.

Kemal Atatürk See Atatürk