Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born on March 12, in 1881 in the former Ottoman Empire. Ataturk led the Turkish War of Independence and signed the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, which made Turkey a republic. He was elected its first president and ushered in reforms that modernized Turkey.
Mustafa became a member of the Young Turks, a revolutionary movement of intellectuals. He participated in the Young Turk Revolution, and Mustafa held a number of posts in the Ottoman army. He fought against Italy in the Balkan Wars and he became chief of staff before being posted at the Turkish embassy in Bulgaria.
When the Treaty of Sèvres was signed at the end of World War I, divvying up the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal demanded complete independence for Turkey. The Great National Assembly (the new Turkish parliament) engaged in a series of battles with Greek and Armenian forces until Mustafa signed the Treaty of Lausanne on October 29, 1923. This established the Republic of Turkey, and Mustafa Kemal became the country’s first president.
Mustafa Kemal's first order of business was to modernize and secularize the country, which he did by studying Western governments and adapting their structure for the people of Turkey. He believed that modernization necessarily entailed Westernization, and he established a policy of state secularism, with a constitution that separated the government from religion.
Mustafa Kemal was married briefly from 1923 to 1925, and although he never fathered children, he adopted 12 daughters and one son. He died on November 10, 1938, from cirrhosis of the liver.
Citations:
"Kemal Ataturk." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Mustafa became a member of the Young Turks, a revolutionary movement of intellectuals. He participated in the Young Turk Revolution, and Mustafa held a number of posts in the Ottoman army. He fought against Italy in the Balkan Wars and he became chief of staff before being posted at the Turkish embassy in Bulgaria.
When the Treaty of Sèvres was signed at the end of World War I, divvying up the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal demanded complete independence for Turkey. The Great National Assembly (the new Turkish parliament) engaged in a series of battles with Greek and Armenian forces until Mustafa signed the Treaty of Lausanne on October 29, 1923. This established the Republic of Turkey, and Mustafa Kemal became the country’s first president.
Mustafa Kemal's first order of business was to modernize and secularize the country, which he did by studying Western governments and adapting their structure for the people of Turkey. He believed that modernization necessarily entailed Westernization, and he established a policy of state secularism, with a constitution that separated the government from religion.
Mustafa Kemal was married briefly from 1923 to 1925, and although he never fathered children, he adopted 12 daughters and one son. He died on November 10, 1938, from cirrhosis of the liver.
Citations:
"Kemal Ataturk." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.