Mustafa Kemal Attaturk

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a man who transformed his nation. As a commander, Nationalist leader, and the president of Turkey, Ataturk had the access and the power to make sweeping changes in the Turkish laws and culture, and that is precisely what he did. Ataturk believed that traditional Muslim government had become obsolete and that Turkey needed to adopt new principles from European countries that had already surged ahead of his own.[i] He accomplished "secularization, modernization and purification," and tempered Turkey's Middle Eastern culture with concepts borrowed from Western culture.[ii] By introducing reforms that superseded traditional Turkish garb and politics and reduced the influence of Islam in everyday life, he transformed Turkey and enabled it to gain a more competitive position on the world stage.[iii] Under Ataturk, Turkey changed from a relatively primitive feudal state to a modern empire, and even today the country continues to grow as a result.

Ataturk's Life and Accomplishments

Ataturk was born Mustafa Kemal on May 19, 1881 in Salonika in the Ottoman Empire, a city that was renamed to Thassaloniki when it became part of Greece.[iv] As a young man, he attended military school, and later a military academy in Istanbul, from which he graded as staff captain.[v] After serving in a variety of posts in the Ottoman army, he became the colonel in charge of the Infantry in World War I, and his ingenious

Related Essays

Career of Mustafa Kemal This research paper deals with an important facet of Mustafa Kemal's career, namely, the facts and circumstances,including his personal leadership qualities .... (3500 14 )

The Life of Kemal Ataturk Mustafa Kemal This paper will examine This paper will examine the life of Mustafa Kemal, later known as Kemal Ataturk ("Father of the Turks"). The first part of the paper .... (2760 11 )

Mustafa Kemal Atatnrk, Father of the Turks Mustafa Kemal Atatnrk (1881-1938) was an authoritarian ruler, but unlike some, his record was unstained by personal corruption. .... (5575 22 )

The Military Career of Ataturk The Military Career of Ataturk during the First World War This paper will discuss the military career of Mustafa Kemal, later known as Ataturk, during the .... (3020 12 )

Reforms in Turkey Mustafa Kemal was a Turkish World War I hero later known as "Ataturk" or "father of the Turks," and he founded the republic of Turkey in 1923 after the .... (1677 7 )

Category: People - M