Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Mustafa KemalSince 1934 Atatürk (* 1881 in Thessaloniki Former Selanik; † 10. November 1938 in Istanbul) Was the founder of modern Turkey and first President after the WWI from Ottoman Empire resulting Republic.
His services as an officer in the Defense of the Gallipoli peninsula 1915 against Allied troops, the Dardanelles were brought under control, the defensive struggle in 1921 against the invading Greeks in Anatolia and the offensive in the east with Armenia[1][2] have made him a symbol Turkish national pride and self-assertion. As a power politician from his own nature, propelled the modernization of his country western-style persistent, he is aware of the abolition Sultanate and Caliphate and create far-reaching social reform is unique in this form type of state. Be based - in spite of some downsides of his work - the personenkultartige Worship, which is met with him in Turkey until today, and the undisputedness of him in 1934 by the Turkish Parliament conferred surname "Atatürk" (Father of Turks).

Life and Work

Origin and Youth

Mustafa was born as the son of Turkish spouses Ali Rıza Efendi and Zübeyde Hanım in Salonika, Which was then a part of the Ottoman Empire. It was also home to various peoples in the open-minded Muslims with Jews and Christians lived together mostly peacefully. Mustafa's paternal grandfather, Kızıl Hafiz Ahmed was one of the Yörük-Türkmen. His mother was the daughter of an old established farming, originally from Konya-Karaman derived family of the town Langaza (today Langadas) at Salonika. The parents were married 1871st
Ali Rıza, who as a customs officer at a remote post in the Macedonia border his wife and family was not delivering adequate conditions can offer, the position had been abandoned after the death of two sons and tried his luck as a timber merchant in Salonica. Of five siblings, Mustafa's only surviving sister makbul Atadan childhood. To have a precise birth date is uncertain. Mustafa Kemal later chose for herself 19 May - the date on which he in 1919 with 38 years in the Anatolian Coastal town Samsun landed at the Land Forces for the Liberation of victors and Sultanate to collect.
Mustafa's childhood was marked by several breaks, which sometimes already be pronounced self-will[3] and came to bear his assertiveness. Only a few days he visited, mainly due to the induction ceremony, the mother of the unwanted religious school. Then he moved with the support of the father to a private school on the western model. When he was seven years old, his father died. The mother, her two remaining children could eat hardly moved in with her brother to the country, where there was no controlled schooling possible. After several months of school break Mustafa was given into the care of his aunt in Salonika, so he could attend classes. Terrible beatings, combined with bloody welts on his back, which he received from a teacher who made him a repeated drop-outs. The age of twelve, he applied to the then secretly military Middle School in Salonika, passed the entrance and then set his will against the opposition by the mother. The name Kemal (Arabic: completely) has his own admission, its there been a mathematics teacher, whom he impressed with his skills. The final examination of 1895 he graduated as fourth best.
Mustafa Kemal played a brief role in 1932 turned Bir Millet uyaniyor (A nation awakes) By Muhsin Ertuğrul, One of the great films of the Turkish cinema of the Turkish War of Liberation. The film also had general Kazim Ozalp with.

Military training and political beginnings (1896-1905)

His schooling began in 1896, far from the family, in westmazedonischen Manastır (now Bitola) Continued at the local high military school (military school). On this, as well as other military training facilities of the former Ottoman Empire, there was a strong Western-oriented reform efforts.
During the 19th Century were opening up trend towards the West, to the Sultan Abdulhamid II Introduced in 1876 Constitution besides Parliament, Although he later recanted two years, has been promoted repeatedly by Ottoman rulers. For Young Turk Opposition movement (especially at the military schools) to Mustafa Kemal, now found in Manastır connection, this was the starting point.
After another excellent pass the final examination Mustafa Kemal arrived in 1899 as Cadet to Military Academy in Istanbul. Here he was conspicuous because of opposition political activity, but benefited from the patronage of the liberal academy director. Soon after the end of his officer training he fell into the clutches of the secret service, had to spend several months in prison, and came only through the renewed advocacy of the Director of the Military Academy free again. The secret of his acts of misconduct reported not only political insubordination, but, inter alia, including those regarded as dishonest dealings with prostitutes, and a Alcoholism.[5] The inappropriate use of Rakı, A high percentage Brandy, Where the sufferer from insomnia exhorting his life, should be at a later life-limiting health problem, in fact. Thirst for knowledge and performance of Mustafa Kemal were, however - until his last years - apparently relatively unaffected. In 1902 he graduated from military school and was admitted as the eighth best on the staff training. At the same time he was promoted to lieutenant.
The Military Academy in 1905 under forty, he had completed his year as the fifth best graduates, what a brilliant career as Staff Officer could be expected. But Mustafa Kemal was far from the political hot spots on an outpost in Damascus reassigned.

Military career (1906-1919)

Till, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the WWI act as the Turkish society was reorganized, Mustafa Kemal has taken a series of futile attempts to get into a state leader.
In Damascus, Mustafa Kemal came in contact with a supporter of the opposition Young Turks, in a failed assassination attempt on the Sultan Abdulhamid II had been involved. After serving a prison sentence he had sent him into exile in Syria, where he ran a bookstore, in which he, inter alia, acted with banned French writings. With him, Mustafa Kemal founded the secret revolutionary Fatherland and FreedomFor which he is in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Beirut recruited more members. End of 1906 gave him back his military superior backing for a covert mission to Salonika, where Mustafa Kemal founded a branch of his secret, but vainly sought access to the leaders of the Young Turk opposition. The risk of being discovered here as a deserter, he met by the timely return to Syria.
After his promotion to "kolağası"He was moved to Macedonia in September 1907. But it gave him an entry into the leadership circle of the Young Turk Committee of Union and Progress. So it was the Young Turk younger by a year officer and longtime political rival, Kemal EnverWhich forced the sultan with a military revolt that Constitution of 1876 re-enact, and Mustafa Kemal then politically for a long time kept on the sidelines. The policy objectives of Enver and Mustafa Kemal differed mainly in two points. While Enver's military links with the German Empire wanted to keep as closely as possible and do in the event of war with the Germans "common cause", Mustafa Kemal turned it off and headed the independent reorganization of the Turkish Army at. And while Enver for the future a pan-Turkish empire, including the Turkic Central Asia target, were Mustafa Kemal's nation-oriented concepts from the outset about the current expansion of the Turkish territory.
However, Mustafa Kemal was given the opportunity to show its military organization and leadership skills after he was appointed in 1909 head of training of those divisions, through their use for disposing of the sultan Abdul Hamid II to his brother Mehmed V was forced, after Abdulhamid had taken place against the newly elected parliament. 1910 Mustafa Kemal participated as observers in the French autumn maneuvers Grandvilliers in Picardy, and so came the first time in Western Europe.
Italy imperialist reaching out to North Africa in 1911 led to the deployment of Enver Pasha, who in Tripoli lead the Ottoman troops against the Italians in the battle should. Mustafa Kemal volunteered for this deployment and was also charged. Rivalry between the two here already adopted significant features. In October 1912 the Ottoman Empire, the North African provinces were lost because the situation on the Balkans military forces required concentration. Bulgarians and Greeks besieged Edirne and prepared to remove the remnants of the Ottoman Empire on the European continent. As the dispute over the spoils of war but in 1913 it clashed Bulgarians and Greeks, used the Young Turks under Enver's military leadership the opportunity to retake Edirne. Thus Enver had once again outstanding in the scene and recommended for a steep political career: he was immediately War. Mustafa Kemal was appointed by the General Staff with the first bit challenging task of taking over the leadership of those forces, which Dardanelles and Gallipoli had to defend.
In the autumn of 1913 he was appointed Military Attaché to the Ottoman Embassy in Sofia added. This was a renewed political disenfranchisement, which he and his political companions Ali Fethi stated as general secretary of the Young Turk Committee of Union and Progress and replaced as Ambassador was also transported to Sofia. Mustafa Kemal, however, should get used to the period before the outbreak of World War II, in Sofia in order to familiarize themselves with diplomatic custom and manners, which he later very good stead as president.
It was only after repeated unsuccessful requests at the beginning of World War I, he was in January 1915 in command of the 19th stationed on the peninsula of Gallipoli Division of the 5th Army transferred. In this post he accomplished in the struggle against the AlliesWho wanted to gain control of the Dardanelles, a legendary military Glanztat that eventually the withdrawal of the British Navy Minister (Lord High Admiral) Winston Churchill had resulted. Prime Minister Lloyd George, Found himself led to the declaration: "How was I to know that our armies facing a soldier like him, the story only once every century produces?" From his top military superiors, Enver Pasha, Mustafa Kemal, however, was still ignored, so that he has already prepared my resignation. Through the mediation of the German commander of the 5th Army General Liman von SandersWho turned a reminder to Enver, Mustafa Kemal remained ultimately in the service.
In January 1916, Mustafa Kemal replied to Edirne. The end of February 1916 he was with his unit to reinforce the 3rd Army on the Eastern Front moved Anatolia. For his services in the Defense Gallipolis He was subsequently promoted to General, coupled with the honorary title Pasha. The Russian Revolution 1917 led to the pacification of the military situation in the east, which Enver new offensive raids against the English in Mesopotamia and Egypt inspired, while Mustafa Kemal, the focus on the defense of the Anatolian heartland was necessary and Enver plans openly resisted. Thereupon he was - allegedly due to illness - on leave from duty.
As the victor of Gallipoli, he became the turn of the year 1917/18 for a visit of Crown Prince Vahideddin at Kaiser Wilhelm II in the German military headquarters in Spa than Military Attaché and personal aide determined. The independence of his appeal, he has also given the opportunity to recognize relentlessly. When asked about the visit to the western front of his assessment, he told Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg: "The war is already lost." However, he succeeded in spite of several raids to capture any Vahideddin Crown Prince for his ideas and power ambitions in the leadership of the Ottoman Empire. This became final, as Vahideddin in fact, assumed the throne in June 1918 and Mustafa Kemal, the army commander for the Defense Syria made against the British, from the perspective of Porte impossible task, which then amounted only to an orderly withdrawal. Before returning to Turkey on 27 July 1918 Mustafa Kemal remained for the treatment of pyelonephritis or for several weeks as a distinguished visitor in Bohemia, where he met his old promoter Cemal Pasha.
Beginning in October 1918 gave up Enver and his Regierungsvertrauten and fled the country. Their successors, however, refused to Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the objective of his war ministry. Given the after the armistice on 30 October Start the Allied occupation policy, he recommended demobilized troops, and to Guerrilla groups in the interior of Anatolia to form and be ready for a future struggle for liberation. Meanwhile, Mustafa Kemal was renewed after a dissolution of parliament by Sultan Mehmet VI. Vahideddin itself in danger of being rendered harmless as a potential opposition. His situation was cleared up in unexpected ways, as he - for the May 1919 Inspector General nominated - for the control of Greek militiamen in the hinterland of Samsun and demobilization of the IX. Army was deployed in eastern Anatolia, where with Kazım Karabekir and Ali Fuad two generals stood ready with their troops, the child is his leadership.

Freedom fighter and founder of the Republic (1919-1924)

On 15 May 1919, just before boarding Mustafa Kemal had to Samsun, the British government supported by the Greek invasion in Smyrna (now IzmirStarted). This then went into an eastern expansion movement of Greek troops, which could not be prevented by the government in Constantinople. Inspector General Mustafa Kemal was thereupon immediately to organize the resistance against the occupying powers and made the telegrams from Constantinople, who ordered his recall, no result. Upon his release, he responded by dropping the uniform and the convening of conferences in Erzurum and Sivas and the establishment of the National Assembly in 1920 Ankara (Ankara was subsequently expanded by and by Turkey's new capital). This made him its chairman and appointed one against the Sultan and the Allies were facing government.
By the Government in Constantinople in May 1919 adopted Peace Treaty of SèvresThat significant control of the Allies (British, French, Greeks and Italians) On an Ottoman rump state entrenching, rejected the Grand National Assembly from outraged and said the signatories as traitors.
In January and in March 1921 won by the troops of the Liberation Army under the leadership of the commander of the Western Front, Colonel Ismet at İnönü two great victories over the Greeks. Mustafa Kemal was now at the National Assembly Commander appointed. In view of Greek reinforcements in again, Mustafa Kemal ordered a temporary tactical retreat behind the river Sakarya to and settled in preparation for the decisive battle equipped with unlimited powers. With the Greeks surprising concept of flexible space defense - instead of a rigid position of war - he succeeded Sakarya in August 1921, the Greeks, under Major-General Nikolaos Trikoupis once again hit back. Five of eight Greek divisions were completely annihilated it. Mustafa Kemal was rewarded in September 1921 to the National Assembly Marshal (Turkish: Mareşal) appointed.

Even the Greeks were defeated, but not definitive. Only after another year of Mustafa Kemal succeeded gather strength with a surprise attack at Dumlupınar on 26 August 1922 to complete his triumph and defeat the Greek troops in the disastrous flight. The Treaty of Sevres was obsolete at the same time and, after negotiations with the now recognized by the Allies in 1923, the government in Ankara Treaty of Lausanne (Turkish: Lozan, name of streets and squares) are replaced, which - except for the Straits and in 1939 connected area İskenderun - Restored the sovereignty of Turkey over the current boundaries. As a result, a half million Greeks were forced to leave Asia Minor and relocate half a million Turks from Greece to Turkey.
With his own directed at retaining power lenient attitude toward the Allies had Sultan Mehmet VI. Vahideddin himself and his position permanently discredited. By Mustafa Kemal in November 1922 strongly driven abolition of the sultanate, first met so little opposition. A Caliph (Abdülmecit II) Was followed by the nominal head of state of the old Ottoman Empire. On 29 October 1923 was finally established by a major amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, headed by a president as head of government and the sole holder of executive power. An office that was tailored to the demands and position of Mustafa Kemal. There was also the resident Caliph in Istanbul.
Not only in its infancy, but until now the Republic of Turkey by Mustafa and his name is very closely linked. Its policy guidelines, the principles of Kemalism, Will officially remain aloft. They are: Republicanism in the sense of popular sovereignty, nationalism as an expression against the multinational Ottoman-style, populism as an expression of the interests of the people, not a class oriented politics in the sense of a continuous revolutionism continuation of reforms Secularism, I.e. Separation of state and religion, and Statism with partial state control of the economy.
To secure the new political order and to enforce the model of a secular republic but had not only with the Sultanate of the Ottomans are broken, but also with the Caliphate. As Caliph, the Ottoman rulers were "the shadow of God on earth" and thus the religious leaders of all Muslims. To evoke in the Republic's founding is not the concentrated opposition of the orthodox, was Mustafa Kemal, when he forced the Sultan into exile, the dignity of the Caliph on his first cousin Abdülmecit II be transferred. 1924 seemed to him then was the time to eliminate even this rallying of supporters of the old order. On 3 March 1924, the National Assembly decided to abolish the term caliph. The next day, all members of the Osman family were forced to leave Turkey. As a result, were Dervish convents and the religious courts closed religious schools for clerics and judges resolved, the general Compulsory was introduced in all schools and one Education assumed.

Society and education reformers dictator (1924-1938)

The break with the centuries-old structures and institutions of the Ottoman Empire remained a risk, the resistance caused. Some of the major supporters of the beginning of the liberation war, including Kazim Ali Fuad Karabekir and withdrew from the People's Party for the President and with the permission of Mustafa Kemal founded in November 1924, the opposition Progressive Party. These set out, inter alia, respect for freedom of conscience and religious feelings about the program and gained support among the supporters of the Sharia. For the serious challenge of the young republic and its president has been the trend, as it in February 1925 in southeastern Anatolia to an uprising of Kurds came, whose spiritual leader Sheikh Said the return to the Sultanate and Caliphate advocated. With all the harshness and brutality of this survey was militarily defeated and thereby aims to wipe out the Kurdish opposition as much as possible (see Sheikh Said rebellion). In June, issued a ban on the Progressive Party; emergency law, press censorship and the judiciary were brought into position against opponents. A 1926 murder plot uncovered in Izmir three conspirators against the President was used by Mustafa Kemal as an opportunity to settle scores with the leaders of the opposition as alleged instigators of the planned attack as part of a show trial before the "court freedom". The Republic adopted the traits of a dictatorship. His imperious and restless nature was pressing forward the vision of a modern republican polity committed to Western orientation patterns. Even in a diary entry of 6 June 1918 he had formulated the basic motive of all subsequent steps for reform

"If I have one day, great influence or power, I think it is the best that our society suddenly change - immediately and in no time - too. For, unlike others I do not believe that this change can be achieved by the uneducated will be conducted in stages to a higher level. My inmost soul revolts against such a view. For what reason should I gone back down on the lower level of the general population, after I have been trained for many years, studies and social history of civilization and in all phases of my life satisfaction experienced by freedom I have? I will make sure that they get there. I can not them, but they have to approach me. "

This program, he realized train to train, after he won as a strategist in the liberation struggle of the Turkish people and in the function of the president held the key position desired. There was a variety of profound changes in tradition and customs, which he pretended to put his own people within a few years.
After the abolition of the caliphate, he was an outward sign of pro-Western Secularization , followed by the hat as a male headdress propagated instead of the whole of the Ottoman Empire until then typical Fes'. On 3 November 1934 was the wearing of religious dress, such as baggy trousers and turbans are prohibited. Only excluded Islamic Priests in performing their duties at the mosque or at funerals. Who was henceforth met in public with Fez, risking a prison sentence. In eastern Anatolia rebelled against the Hutrevolution some fierce resistance, which was answered by a state of emergency, sharp police actions and arrests. Of so-called independence of courts were made in this context even 138 death sentences. [7]
An upheaval of social structures meant initiated by Mustafa Kemal steps to Women's emancipationWhich, in a reorganization of the marriage divorce law, the legal equality of men and women in the promotion of higher education and university access for girls and women was expressed. Like its work of reform almost universally, is preceded by Mustafa Kemal, also with its own example. As the longtime bachelor finally married, it was Latife UşaklıgilA self-conscious, shaped by Western influences woman whose appearance impressed him emancipated. The ceremony on 29 January 1923 took place without any religious ceremony was performed by the mayor of Izmir, where Mustafa Kemal took the opportunity to announce that all marriages were carried out in Turkey in the future also by representatives of the state. In marriage and in public Latife could represent their own views and thereby contribute to the modernization of the women's image in Turkey. It was found however, that Mustafa Kemal and his state affairs and nightly discussions it was brought too much to offer the young woman a suitable marriage to her wishes. As their criticism after two and a half marriage exceeded the tolerable level for him, he ran the separation and subsequent divorce. As a result, he managed to bring him through targeted promotion of adopted girls and young women in their own sphere of influence, the objective of the emancipation of women successfully to bear. Total of fundamental importance to society was the introduction of active and passive female suffrage. Since 1930, women were able to Local participate in parliamentary elections since 1934.
It is characteristic of his work and procedures that Mustafa Kemal, the reform ideas he had developed early on in broad strokes, a group of selected consultants and Expertise presented at late-night dinner parties, for which he spent in each case a specific list of invitees. Open criticism he endured bad, and they barely tolerated, but without having heard the Council and the ideas of Sachkennern, he did not make to the political implementation of its projects.

The end of 1925, the Islamic era by Gregorian Calendar replaced. 10 years later joined the Sunday as a day off in place of the Muslim holy Friday. Also, the metric system introduced. On Quran oriented law was superseded by the Swiss Civil Law, which was adopted with only minor adjustments. The acquisition also included the modern law Inheritance law and Family of ZGB with one. In addition, the German were Commercial and the Italian Criminal Law accepted.
As has been the official language Ottoman high-level language the recent ElitesThat rely heavily on the language of courtly Persian and of the holy language Arabic was influenced, in a process accompanied by linguists from the Turkish vernacular replaced. Until 1928, the Ottoman language, according to Islamic tradition was Arabic script noted. Mustafa Kemal sent them through the Latin alphabet to replace the equivalent of the vocal range of Turkish language better. Moreover, it could be learned with significantly less time[8] and increased the target by Mustafa Kemal Western orientation. Also in this field, Mustafa Kemal put personally in hand, while he, with errant blackboard and chalk, gave lessons. The Koran he had transferred to Turkish and read in Dolmabahçe Palace first before the translation. The goal, however, that should be held in the mosques to pray in Arabic only in Turkish, proved to be unattainable, and after his death was not pursued.
Mustafa Kemal had a distant relationship to Islam. During the Battle of the Dardanelles, he wrote in a French-language correspondence with Madame Corinne, it is remarkable that Muhammad, the men, many Houris promise to work to not at all for the women. Consequently, while the men after the death of possession enjoyed the paradise of women, the women would find themselves in an intolerable situation.[9] In the autumn of 1929, Mustafa Kemal said in an interview with Emil Ludwig the topic of religion as follows

"They are surprised that the mosques are empty so quickly, although no one closes? The Turk was not a Muslim home, the shepherds know only the sun, clouds and stars; [...] The Turk adored nothing but nature. [...] I'll leave the Koran also appear for the first time in Turkish, translated also a life of Muhammad. The people should know that pretty much the same everywhere and that it is the priest only comes out to eat. "