INTRODUCTION
WHO WAS MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK?
Mustafa Kemal Pasha Ataturk(1881-1938) was the founder of the republic of Turkey. He served turkey as an army officer as a revolutionary statesman as a famous writer and as its first president. Mustafa Ataturk came into limelight after showing extra-ordinary valour during the First World War. He was the rallying power behind the Turkish revolution to freedom. Ataturk became the first president of the free turkey and embarked upon reforming the country’s political, economic and cultural reforms. He sought out to transform turkey from the Ottoman Empire ruled state to a secular free world country.
BACKGROUND
The efforts to modernise and change turkey started as soon as the free republic was established. The reforms changed turkey from a pre-dominantly Muslim country to a free world modern country. There were huge reforms in social political and economic fields. New legislative and judicial principles were formed in the country. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk believed in the sovereignty of the people.
MAIN ARGUMENT
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was against communism and fascism. He supported the totalitarian political party views. He believed that this was the only way in which turkey could be reformed. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made sure that the caliphate was removed in turkey. He believed that the presence of caliphate will only deter the development of the religion of Islam and not support its development. He officially abolished the caliphate in turkey and converted it into the GNA. Major reforms in education field were done in turkey. Modern society education was given emphasis over the Islamic education system. The old madras a system in the country was completely reformed and modernised. Education reformers from as far as the united nations of America were called to help in the reform process of the education system of turkey. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk believed that giving proper education and modern education to the people of turkey was the only real way in which the country could realise its potential in the future. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk encouraged the people of turkey to start wearing modern western attires. This was a part of his modern society campaign. While all this was happening Mustafa Kemal Ataturk also faced a lot of opposition from other leaders of the country and there were also plots uncovered to assassinate Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
CONCLUSION
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk passed the new penal code of turkey. This was based on the penal code of Italy to some degree. He established new civil code in the country and removed the Islamic policies of segregating the men from the women. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made a lot of reforms for the women society and created laws which allowed women to have the right to work and the right to be educated. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk promoted western lines of education right from the primary level to the higher education levels. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk established the modern Turkish language association. This was a step to develop the indigenous language of the country and stop its dependence on language of other countries. The modern turkey as we see it today is all the gift of efforts done by the country’s first president Kemal Ataturk.