Mustafa Kemal Atatürk 1881 - 1938 
A symbol for the people of Turkey and its national hero, Atatürk
was a revolutionary and became the founder of the Republic, at the beginning
of the century. His image is everywhere in Turkey; on public monuments,
his portrait on living room walls, his bust in schools.
The son of a customs agent, he became fascinated by the military and
enrolled at the military academy without telling his family.
The young military career man, lieutenant-colonel Mustafa was quickly
promoted to the rank of pacha (general) due to the decline of the Empire
and thanks to his victories against foreign invaders. On May 19th, 1919,
four days after the invasion of Smyrne by the Greeks, Atatürk began
to organize a popular nationalist movement and eventually win the War
of Independence in 1922.
After a series of military and political victories, he abolished the
rule of the Ottoman dynasty on November 1st, 1922 and founded the Turkish
Republic. The National Assembly unanimously ratified the proposition and
declared the birth of the Republic on October 29th, 1923.
Atatürk became the Republic's  first
president and would remain in office for 15 years.
Having abolished the Sultanate and with it, the Ottoman Empire, he became
the instigator of the Lausanne Treaty (1923) which extended Turkey's territories
to include Anatolia and western Thrace. The great revolutionary Chief,
founder of the people's republican party, Atatürk had decided to
lead his country out of its old Ottoman rut and turn toward the West and
toward progress. No more Sultan, no more Kalife, no more muslin veil to
hide women's faces, no more turning, whirling dervishes... Atatürk completely
reformed the country during his 15 years as president. His political victories
include: the abolition of polygamy and the law obliging couples to marry
in a civil ceremony; the separation of Islam and the State in 1928; the
right to vote accorded to women in 1934 (ten years before France), and
the establishment of a Turkish alphabet based on Latin script, etc. In
1930, Constantinople became Istanbul, and the other major cities were
given names which were more in keeping with the Turkish language (Angora
became Ankara, Smyrne became Izmir).
Birthing nations admired him as the pioneer for national liberation.
He died on November 10th, 1938, at the age of 57. |
France :