ATATURK, FOUNDER OF THE TURKISH REPUBLIC AND THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938)

ATATURK, FOUNDER OF THE TURKISH REPUBLIC AND THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in a three-storey pink house at Islahhane Street, Kocakasim District, Salonika in 1881. His father was Ali Riza Efendi and mother was Zübeyde Hanim. His paternal grand father Hafiz Efendi is a member of Kocacik Nomads from Konya and Aydin region, which was settled in Macedonia during the 14th-15th centuries. His mother Zübeyde Hanim, also a daughter of an old Turkish family, settled in the town of Langasa near to Salonika. Ali Riza Efendi who worked in various areas such as; a military officer, a pious foundation clerk and for some time a timber merchant and got married with Zübeyde Hanim in 1871. Four of Atatürk's five siblings died at an early age, only his sister Makbule Atadan survived and lived until 1956.

      Atatürk's Address to the Youth of Türkiye (1.71 MB)

Young Mustafa commenced his education in the Hafiz Mehmet Efendi's neighborhood school, later he was transferred to the Semsi Efendi School, because his father wished so (Comparatively a more modern education at the time.) During his primary education, he lost his father in 1888. For a while he stayed in his uncle's farm in Rapla, then returned to Salonika and completed his primary education. He enrolled into the Salonika Junior High School for Civil Servants. After a short time in 1893, he transferred to the Military Junior High School. It is at this school that his math teacher Mustafa Bey, added Kemal to his name between 1896-1899, Mustafa Kemal finished the Monastir Military Senior High School and commenced the Military College in Istanbul. In 1902 he graduated with the rank of lieutenant and continued his education in the Military Academy. In January 1905 he completed the Academy and graduated with the rank of a captain. His first appointment was in 5 Army in Damascus between 1905-1907. He was promoted to adjutant major in 1907 and appointed to 3 Army in Monastery. He was the Chief of Staff of the Army Corps which entered Istanbul on the 19th of  April 1909. He was sent to France in 1910 and took part in the Picardie Manoeuvres. In 1911 he was back in Istanbul and started to work under the Command of General Staff.

Mustafa Kemal and a group of friends took part in the Tobruk and Derna Fronts during the war which started in 1911 against Italians who were attacking Tripoli (Libya). He won the Battle of Tobruk against the Italian forces on the 22nd of December 1911. He was then appointed to the Derna Front as the Commander-in-Chief on the 6th of March 1912.

When the Balkan War started in October 1912, Mustafa Kemal joined the battle with units in Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Bolayir. He greatly contributed to the retrieval of Edirne and Dimetoka (Dhidhimotikhon). In 1913 he was appointed to Sofia as the military attache. During his assignment in Sofia he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonel grade. His duty as the military attache ended in January 1915. During his stay in Sofia, the First World War had started and the Ottoman Empire had become obliged to enter this war. Mustafa Kemal was appointed to Tekirdag to organize the 19 Division.
It is in the First World War, which started in 1914, that Mustafa Kemal wrote an heroic epic and made the legend of 'Dardanelles are Impassable' against Entente troops in Gallipoli. On the 18th of  March 1915, when British and French navies failed to break in through the Straits of Dardanelles with heavy losses, the decision to land troops on the Gallipoli peninsula had been given. Under the command of Mustafa Kemal, 19 Division halted the enemy forces, which landed in Ariburnu -now called Anzak Koyu (Anzac Cove)- on the 25th of April 1915 at Conkbayir. Mustafa Kemal was promoted to full colonel after this great success. British forces started attacking again from Ariburnu on the 6th and 7th of August 1915. Anafartalar Group Commander Mustafa Kemal won the victory of Battle of Anafartalar on 9-10 August. Following this, he also won the victories of Battle of Kirectepe on the 17th of August and the Second Battle of Anafartalar on the 21st of August. The Turkish nation defended its honor in Gallipoli (Battle of Canakkale) against the Entente States by losing approximately 253,000 of its sons to martyrdom. Mustafa Kemal's famous order to his soldiers "I do not order you to attack, I order you to die", had changed the destiny of this Front.

In 1916 after Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal took duties in Edirne and in Diyarbakir. He was promoted to brigadier general on the 1st of April 1916. He took part in the battles against the Russian forces by which Mus and Bitlis were liberated. After short duties in Damascus and Aleppo, he returned to Istanbul in 1917. He went to Germany with the Heir Apparent Prince Vahdeddin Efendi for observations in the European Western Front. He became sick after this trip and received treatment in Vienna and Carlsbad. He returned to the Front on the 15th of  August 1918 as the Commander-in-Chief of the 7 Army in Aleppo. At this front he achieved the most successful defensive battles in history against the British forces. He was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Lightning Army Group on the 31st of October 1918, just one day after the signing of the truce in Moudros. After the abolition of this Army Group he was appointed for a duty in the Ministry of War in Istanbul on the 13th of November 1918.

After the beginning of the occupation of the country and the demobilization of the Ottoman armies according to the Moudros Truce, Mustafa Kemal arrived in Samsun on the 19th of May 1919 as the Inspector General of the 9 Army. On the 22nd of June 1919, he issued the Amasya Circular, declaring that the nation's determination and decision will restore the nation's independence and called for the gathering of Congress in Erzurum and Sivas. Between 23 July and 7 August 1919 delegates from all over the country gathered in Erzurum and then between the 4th of September and the 11th of September 1919 in Sivas, determining the path to follow in order to gain the nation’s independence. On the 27th of December 1919 he was welcomed in Ankara with great enthusiasm. The 23rd of April 1920, in the first day of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, was one of the very important steps on the way to the founding of the Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal was elected as the first Speaker of the House and the Head of the Government. The Turkish Grand National Assembly started preparing and passing the new laws necessary for implementing the Independence War successfully.

The Turkish Independence War started when the first bullet was fired against the enemy during the occupation of Izmir by the Greek forces on the 15th of  May 1919. Victors of the First World War, by signing the Sevres Agreement, started the occupation of their shares of the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning, resistance against occupation forces started with militia forces, namely Kuva-i Milliye (National Forces). The Turkish Grand National Assembly established the regular army and successfully led the Independence War to victory by integrating the militia forces into the regular army.
The important stages of the Independence War under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal were the :

• Liberation of Sarikamis (20th of September 1920), Kars (30th of October 1920) and Gümrü (7th of November 1920).

• Defences of Cukurova, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Kahraman Maras (1919-1920).

• Victory at the First Battle of Inönü (6th-10th of January 1920)

• Victory at the Second Battle of Inönü (23rd of March-1th of April 1920).

• Victory at the Battle of Sakarya (23rd of August-13 September 1921).

• Great Offensive, Battle of Dumlupinar (Battle of Commander-in-Chief) and the Great (Final) Victory (26 August-9 September 1922).

After the victory at the Battle of Sakarya, the Turkish Grand National Assembly promoted Mustafa Kemal to the rank of Field Marshal and granted him the title of Gazi-the Victorious Fighter. The Independence War ended by the Lausanne Peace Treaty on the 24th of July 1923. Thus, all the impediments of the Sevres Agreement had been removed and the integrity of the Turkish land had been accomplished by the signing of the Lausanne Agreement. There were no obstructions left on the way to establish the new Turkish State based on the national solidarity.

Founding of the Turkish Republic had been heralded by the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the 23rd of April 1920. National Assembly's successful administration during the Independence War had secured the founding of the new Turkish State. Caliphate and Sultanate (monarchy) separated and Sultanate was abolished on the 1rd of November 1922. Therefore, the administrative ties with the Ottoman Empire were broken. The declaration of the Republic was made on 29th of October 1923 and Mustafa Kemal was unanimously elected as the first President of the Republic. Ismet Inönü formed the first government of the Republic on the 30th of October 1923. Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the Nation and Peace at home, peace in the world are the raising fundamentals of the Turkish Republic.

Atatürk made many reforms in order to bring Türkiye to the level of contemporary civilizations. Those reforms can be put under five main topics:
 
1. Political Reforms

- Abolition of the Sultanate (1st of November 1922)
- Declaration of the Republic (29th of October 1923)
- Abolition of Caliphate (3rd of March 1924)

2. Social Reforms

- Women were given equal rights with men (1926-1934)
- The Revolution of Headgear and Outfit (25th of November 1925)
- Closing of dervish lodges and shrines (30th of November 1925)
- The surname law (21st of June 1934)
- Abolition of nicknames, pious and royal titles (26th of November 1934)
- Adoption of the International calendar, time and measurements (1925-1931)
 
3. Juridical Reforms

- Abolition of the Canon Law (1924-1937)
- Instating the new Turkish Civil Code and other legislation to suit the secular order (1924 - 1937)

4. Educational and Cultural Reforms

- Integration of education (3rd of March 1924)
- Adoption of the new Turkish alphabet (1st of November 1928)
- Establishment of the Turkish Language and Historical Societies (1931-1932)
- Organization of the university education (31st May 1933).
- Innovations in fine arts

5. Economical Reforms

- Abolition of old taxation laws.
- Encouragement of the farmers.
- Establishment of model farms.
- Legislation of the Encouragement of the Industry Law and establishment of Industrial Corporations.
- Implementing First and Second Development Plans (1933-1937), construction of new highways to reach every corner of the country.

In accordance with the new surname law, the Turkish Grand National Assembly granted Mustafa Kemal with the surname Atatürk on the 24th of November 1934.
Atatürk had been elected twice as the Speaker of the House (National Assembly), on the 24th of April 1920 and the 13th of August 1923. His chairmanship at that time, was equal to the Head of State and the Government combined. On the 29th of October 1923, the Republic was declared and Atatürk was elected as the first President of the Republic. According to the Constitution Presidential elections held every four years. Atatürk had been re-elected as the President of the Republic in 1927, 1931 and 1935 by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

Atatürk very frequently used to go for fact-finding trips in the country. He kept in contact with local authorities and directed them personally in every occasion. In the capacity of the President of the Republic, he received the visiting foreign presidents, premiers, ministers and commanders with great respect and authority.

Atatürk gave his Great Speech on the 15th-20th of October 1927 in which he described the Independence War and Founding of Republic, he then made his 10th Year Speech on the 29th of October 1933.

Atatürk was very modest in his private life. He married Latife Hanim on the 29th of January 1923. Together they had many trips around the country. Their marriage lasted until the 5th of August 1925. As a great  children-lover, Atatürk adopted his daughters Afet (Inan), Sabiha (Gökcen), Fikriye, Ülkü, Nebile, Rukiye, Zehra and his son Mustafa, a young shepherd boy. He also had two children under his protection, Abdurrahim and Ihsan. He secured a good life and future for these children who survived.

In 1937, he donated his farms to the State Treasury and some of his real estate to Ankara and Bursa Municipality Councils. He divided his inheritance among his sister, his adopted children and the Turkish Language and Historical Societies. He enjoyed reading, listening to music, dancing, horse riding and swimming. He was very much interested in the Western Anatolian folk dance Zeybek, wrestling and listening to Rumelia songs. He had great pleasure in playing black-gammon and billiards. He valued very much his horse Sakarya and his dog Fox. He had made up a very rich library of his own. He used to invite statesmen, scholars and scientists to dinners and discuss state affairs with them. He was very particular about his appearance and was smartly dressed all the times. He was also a nature lover. He very often used to visit his farm Atatürk Orman Ciftligi-Atatürk Forest Farm and took part at works in person. Atatürk was proficient in French and German.

On th 10th of November 1938 at 9.05 o'clock in the morning, in Istanbul, Dolmabahce Palace, he died of the liver ailment he was suffering from. He was buried with a ceremonial funeral in a temporary place of rest at the Ethnographical Museum in Ankara on the 21st of November 1938. After the building of Anitkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum) he was taken to his permanent place of rest with a grand ceremony on the 10th of November 1953.

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