Mustafa Kemal Ataturk milestones of political biography. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - Founder of the Turkish Republic

Today, without exaggeration, every Turkish schoolchild knows the name of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He is revered by both the older and younger generations. It was this man who, in just 15 years of his reign, managed to create a strong, developed and modern Turkey - the way we know it today. Let's take a closer look at the biography of this great Turkish reformer and find out what deeds he became famous for throughout the world.

Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha was born in 1880 in the city of Thessaloniki (today's Greece) into a poor family. Mustafa did not know the exact day of his birth and later chose May 19 as the date of the start of the struggle for Turkish independence. The mother really wanted Mustafa to be brought up in the traditions of Islam and study the Koran, and the father dreamed of giving his son modern education. As a result, having never come to an agreement on this issue, Mustafa’s parents sent him to a nearby school, and at the age of 12 (4 years after his father’s death), Mustafa at will entered a preparatory military school. It was here that for his academic success he was given a middle name - Kemal, which means “perfection”. But Mustafa Kemal received the surname Ataturk (“father of the Turks”) much later - in 1934, at the suggestion of parliament.

Mustafa Kemal was fluent in German and French languages, loved art in all its manifestations, but at the same time, from childhood, he was distinguished by a strict, capricious and even somewhat stubborn character. He was used to achieving his goals and speaking the truth face to face, for which he subsequently made many enemies.

Mustafa graduated from the military school in Macedonia, the Ottoman Military College in Istanbul and the Ottoman General Staff Academy. Immediately after graduating from the academy, he survived arrest and exile. But this did not break the spirit of the future reformer and only, on the contrary, inspired him to new achievements.

Mustafa Kemal served in Syria and France, and during the First World War he took an active part in military operations - he commanded Turkish troops at the Battle of Canakkale, prevented the success of British forces during the landing in Suvla Bay, was the leader of the 7th Army and successfully defended against attacks English troops. After the end of hostilities, he returned to Istanbul and joined the Ministry of Defense.

The post-war period was the most difficult for Ottoman Empire. At this moment, it was Mustafa Kemal who determined the main ways to save the fatherland. One of Ataturk’s most famous statements was: “Full independence is possible only with economic independence.” This is exactly what he tried to achieve for the citizens of his country.

In order to talk about all the reforms of Mustafa Kemal, two articles are not enough. But we will still try to at least briefly introduce you to the reforms that were carried out in Turkey during the reign of Ataturk. In just 15 years, the Sultanate was abolished in the country and the Republic was proclaimed, a reform of hats and clothing was carried out, an international system of time and measurement was introduced, women were given equal rights with men, a new Civil Code was adopted and a transition to a secular system of government was made, adopted a new Turkish alphabet, university education was streamlined, private enterprise was encouraged in agriculture and the outdated tax system was abolished, a huge number of successful industrial and agricultural enterprises were created, an extensive network of roads was built throughout the country, and much more.

It is difficult to believe that one person was able to make such a colossal leap in the development of the entire country and make changes in absolutely all areas, creating a strong and united country. It so happened that Mustafa Kemal did not have his own children, but he had 10 adopted children and an 11th child - his Turkey.

Ataturk died at the age of 57 from cirrhosis of the liver. Before last days he worked for the benefit of the country, and bequeathed part of his inheritance to the Turkish societies of linguistics and history. The great reformer was buried on November 21, 1938 on the territory of the Ethnography Museum in Ankara. And 15 years later, his remains were reburied in the Anitkabir mausoleum built for Ataturk.

The story of our neighbor. It turns out that readers of my books know a lot about the creator of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

It's nice to take stock when there are many worthy contenders.

But first, the right answers.

1. What unexpected figure can you see on the Ataturk monument in Istanbul?

It’s correct to say that the monument to the Republic on Taksim Square in Istanbul depicts Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze and Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov, Soviet commanders.

Ataturk maintained close relations with the Bolsheviks. Received weapons and gold from them. The reason was simple: Kemal needed funds to fight the British (and Greeks) for independence. Lenin - difficulties in the rear of the British, the opening of a new front against the “imperialists”. But not for the world revolution, but to make it easier to talk with London, having a regime friendly to Moscow in the straits. And more trump cards for trading. If you don't help the whites, we won't help the Turks. This is how it will turn out - the Bolsheviks will not provide Kemal with the large-scale assistance that they initially promised.

Moreover, what is curious is that Lenin’s emissaries came to Kemal in the fall of 1919. This is an example of state thinking - Denikin is near Moscow, Yudenich is near Petrograd, and Lenin thinks ahead, to the future. And he sends people to the future head of Turkey.

The history of relations between the Bolsheviks and Kemalists is very interesting. Lenin set the work of the Communist Party in Turkey as one of the conditions for cooperation. Kemal did not object. On the night of January 29, 1921, Mustafa Subhi, who created the Turkish Communist Party in Baku, his wife and 12 (!) closest associates... drowned in the Black Sea under very mysterious circumstances. The culprits were never found. Lenin remained silent...

Relations between Moscow and Ankara will worsen only from the beginning of 1925, when Comrade Trotsky and other future “innocent victims of Stalin’s repressions” begin to rule the USSR.

2. How and why did Ataturk become Ataturk? In a linguistic, not a political sense.

In early July 1934, the National Assembly passed a law introducing surnames in Turkey. In the Ottoman Empire, the bulk of the population had...only names. The law was put into effect at the beginning of 1935. Each Turk chose a “Turkish” surname, since foreign surnames and endings were prohibited.

On November 24, 1934, the National Assembly of the Turkish Republic unanimously proposed that Kemal take the surname “Ataturk,” which means “father of all Turks.” An alternative initial option was “Turkata”. Which was grammatically more accurate, but less harmonious.

3. With what achievement of oratory can Kemal enter the Guinness Book of Records?

Kemal gave a speech called "Nutuk". He spoke for six days: 36 hours and 33 minutes. The text of Nutuka covers 543 pages in Turkish and 724 in English.

Knowing this fact will help you when traveling to Turkey to win the respect of the Turks, who immensely respect their leader.

4. How did the Turks experience the treachery of the British after the signing of the Armistice of Mudros?

The Truce of Mudros meant Turkey's withdrawal from the First World War. It was concluded on October 30, 1918 in the port of Mudros (Lemnos island) between the Ottoman Empire and the Entente. Three days later, in violation of the Truce of Mudros, the British army occupied Alexandretta (Iskenderun) and Mosul.

London demanded immediate demobilization and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from there within two weeks!

- Why? The answer is simple - oil.

— Where is Mosul today, in which country? In Iraq.

—Who created this country? Great Britain, taking a bite out of the Ottoman Empire. Pretending to be a friend of the Arabs and Kurds, and raising them to fight the Turks.

-Where is Mosul today? In Iraq? Not really - it is on the territory of Iraqi Kurdistan. This still unrecognized state was created by the United States and Great Britain after the invasion of Iraq quite recently.

— Where is the city of Alexandretta (Iskenderun)? Near the Kurdish areas.

Almost a hundred years have passed, and nothing has changed:

“As a result of an attack by a Kurdish rebel group on a naval base in southern Turkey, 6 military personnel were killed and 9 more were wounded. This was announced today by representatives of local authorities. A naval base located near the port city of Iskenderun came under rocket fire." Link

The goal is the same as a hundred years ago – to put pressure on Turkey. The means are the same.

...After Mosul, the British capture Izmir, then the Dardanelles forts. On November 13, 1918, the Entente fleet entered the Bosphorus and pointed its guns at the Sultan's palace. For ease of negotiations...

They were going to dissect the Turks like rabbits. And if it were not for Kemal Ataturk, Turkey would be two times smaller. But more about this some other time...

Just a map for now. Look.

The founder and first president of the Turkish Republic today serves for his compatriots as clear proof of the thesis “what a blessing it is to be a Turk.”

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Mustafa Riza was born in Thessaloniki on March 12, 1881 in the family of a timber merchant. Kemal’s nickname, “Perfection,” he said he received at a military school for his mathematical abilities. But the most authoritative of his biographers, Andrew Mango, claims that he adopted this name on his own initiative in honor of the nationalist poet Namik Kemal. In 1934, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey assigned him the surname Ataturk - “Father of the Turks.” At the end of the First World War, he did not recognize the surrender of the Sultan and the division of the Ottoman Empire; after the landing of the Greeks in Izmir in 1919, he organized a national resistance movement throughout Anatolia. In 1920 he was elected chairman of the Great National Assembly. In 1923 he proclaimed a republic and was elected its first president. He died in Istanbul on November 10, 1938; since 1953, his remains have been buried in the Anitkabir mausoleum.

Once in the Turkish outback I met a former Soviet sculptor. What is he sculpting? - I asked a stupid question. Like, well, of course, Ataturk! Those who have become proficient in “lukichi” and “rostovichki” (busts and statues of Lenin) will be able to sculpt the Father of the Nation.

The first statues of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Turkey began to be erected during his lifetime by German and Italian sculptors. This was how the fascist style of Atatürk’s iconography was set, which never changed later. There were three main types of statues. The first depicted the Father of the Turks as a commander - riding a dashing horse or on foot, with a pipe in his mouth and a hat on his head. The second is the Father of the Nation in civilian attire, often even in a tailcoat and bow tie, sometimes with a book in his hands. The third symbolized the connection between the leader and the people: Ataturk talks with workers and peasant women, holds the hands of children, etc. And in Trabzon I came across Ataturk growing out of a giant palm - no one knows whose.

Of course, busts of Mustafa Kemal are much more numerous: they decorate all schools, courts, military units, hospitals, libraries, prisons, etc. They are usually painted with gold paint and always reproduce the same stern facial expression. Well, the portraits of the leader are absolutely innumerable. Some enliven the walls of all snack bars, workshops, shops, swimming pools, public places, as well as coins, banknotes, postage stamps, badges, others are lined with stones on the mountain slopes (the most impressive is on Mount Erzincan, with an area of ​​7568 m2). And Turkish schoolchildren learn by heart poems dedicated to the portrait, like those that are memorable to the Soviet people.

The victorious General Mustafa Kemal, having come to power in 1919, amid the despondency caused by the defeat in the First World War, completely defeated the Greek army that had invaded Turkey and thereby restored the people's faith in their own strength. From the ruins of the sultanate, he began to create a Turkish identity from scratch. Kemal announced that the collapsed multinational Ottoman Empire was only a fetter for the Turkish nation. Kemal carried out all modernization under the banner of a return to Turkic roots. European dress and universal education, women's equality and the Latin alphabet, parliament and statism, Western music and the system of first and last names, rowing and dancing, drinking alcohol and golf - everything was declared to correspond to the original national traditions of the Turks.

The main danger to Kemal's reforms was Islam. Yes, the Father of the Turks proclaimed secularism as the basis of the state, abolished Sharia law and the caliphate. However, there remained a line that even he could not cross - Muslim life and way of thinking. There are rumors that he himself did not like Islam, but did not dare to criticize it publicly. Unlike the Bolsheviks, who banned the ringing of bells and religious processions without the slightest hesitation, Kemal was forced to resign himself to fasting, hajj, circumcision, and most importantly, to the daily five-time cries of the muezzins.

Ataturk died in 1938 and rested in the mausoleum, a masterpiece of fascist architecture. During his lifetime, he became an idol of the new Turkish religion - nationalism (as opposed to both empire and Islamism). To every rise in Muslim sentiments, to every exacerbation of Kurdish separatism, the authorities responded by massively erecting new statues in problem areas, forcibly distributing new portraits, and renaming more and more streets, universities, roads, bridges, and airports in honor of the Father of the Turks. Ataturk is the embodiment of the very mystical body that the Turkish nation should represent. The main vehicle of this secular religion was the army, which periodically removed civilian governments from power if they could be suspected of Islamist sympathies. The last time this happened was in 1997. However, gradually the Turkish economy began to grow, the country moved towards prosperity, and new problems arose.

Turkey's desire to enter Europe has led to some easing of the regime. Islam raised its head and developed soft methods of working with the secular world. The moderate Islamist party came to power, and the women's headscarf in universities became a symbol of the struggle against martinet tyranny. Everything became more complicated, and now Ataturk became not only a government cudgel, but also a banner of intellectual protest against creeping Islamization. Posters showing Ataturk drinking coffee, singing songs, and most importantly, laughing are in great demand. His image has been embraced by the world of business and advertising.

But there is a limit to the humanization of Kemal. Recently, the whole of Turkey watched the documentary film “Mustafa”, filmed by liberal director Can Dündar. From it, people were amazed to learn that the Father of the Nation could not build a strong relationship with any woman, was afraid to sleep in the dark, and died of cirrhosis. The movie not only caused outrage among the military, not only led to prosecution (insulting the Father of the Turks is still officially a crime), but also earned curses from secularists who saw it as pandering to Islamism. However, the most curious thing is that “Mustafa” was not popular among Islamists either. After all, only an insignificant part of Muslim fanatics declare Kemal to be a Jew and an English spy, and the overwhelming majority of them believe that he is... a messenger of Allah who carried out a special mission on Earth.

"Ataturk" translated from Turkish means "father of the people", and in this case this is not an exaggeration. The man who bore this surname is deservedly called the father of modern Turkey.

One of the modern architectural monuments of Ankara is the Ataturk Mausoleum, built of yellowish limestone. The mausoleum stands on a hill in the city center. Vast and “severely simple,” it gives the impression of a majestic structure. Mustafa Kemal is everywhere in Turkey. His portraits hang in government buildings and coffee shops in small towns. His statues stand in city squares and gardens. You will find his sayings in stadiums, parks, concert halls, boulevards, along roads and in forests. People listen to his praises on radio and television. Surviving newsreels from his times are regularly shown. Mustafa Kemal's speeches quoted politicians, military, professors, trade union and student leaders.

It is unlikely that in modern Turkey you can find anything similar to the cult of Ataturk. This is an official cult. Ataturk is alone, and no one can be connected with him. His biography reads like the lives of saints. More than half a century after the president's death, his admirers speak with bated breath of the penetrating gaze of his blue eyes, his tireless energy, iron determination and unyielding will.

Mustafa Kemal was born in Thessaloniki in Greece, on the territory of Macedonia. At that time, this territory was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. His father was a middle-ranking customs official, his mother a peasant woman. After a difficult childhood spent in poverty due to the early death of his father, the boy entered a state military school, then a higher military school and, in 1889, finally the Ottoman Military Academy in Istanbul. There, in addition to military disciplines, Kemal independently studied the works of Rousseau, Voltaire, Hobbes, and other philosophers and thinkers. At the age of 20, he was sent to the Higher Military School of the General Staff. During his studies, Kemal and his comrades founded the secret society "Vatan". "Vatan" is a Turkish word of Arabic origin, which can be translated as "homeland", "place of birth" or "place of residence". The society was characterized by a revolutionary orientation.

Kemal, unable to achieve mutual understanding with other members of society, left Vatan and joined the Committee of Union and Progress, which collaborated with the Young Turk movement (a Turkish bourgeois revolutionary movement that aimed to replace the Sultan's autocracy with a constitutional system). Kemal was personally acquainted with many key figures in the Young Turk movement, but did not participate in the 1908 coup.

When did the first one break out? World War Kemal, who despised the Germans, was shocked that the Sultan had made the Ottoman Empire their ally. However, contrary to his personal views, he skillfully led the troops entrusted to him on each of the fronts where he had to fight. So, at Gallipoli from the beginning of April 1915, he held off British forces for more than half a month, earning the nickname “Savior of Istanbul”; this was one of the rare victories of the Turks in the First World War. It was there that he told his subordinates:

"I'm not ordering you to attack, I'm ordering you to die!" It is important that this order was not only given, but also carried out.

In 1916, Kemal commanded the 2nd and 3rd armies, stopping the advance of Russian troops in the southern Caucasus. In 1918, at the end of the war, he commanded the 7th Army near Aleppo, fighting the last battles with the British. The victorious allies attacked the Ottoman Empire like hungry predators. It seemed that the war had dealt a mortal blow to the Ottoman Empire, which had long been known as the “Great Power of Europe” - for years of autocracy had led it to internal decay. It seemed that each of the European countries wanted to grab a piece of it for themselves. The terms of the truce were very harsh, and the allies entered into a secret agreement to divide the territory of the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain, moreover, did not waste any time and deployed its military fleet in the harbor of Istanbul. At the beginning of the First World War, Winston Churchill asked: “What will happen in this earthquake to scandalous, crumbling, decrepit Turkey, which does not have a penny in its pocket?” However, the Turkish people were able to revive their state from the ashes when Mustafa Kemal became the head of the national liberation movement. The Kemalists turned military defeat into victory, restoring the independence of a demoralized, dismembered, devastated country.

The Allies hoped to preserve the sultanate, and many in Turkey believed that the sultanate would survive under a foreign regency. Kemal wanted to create an independent state and put an end to imperial remnants. Sent to Anatolia in 1919 to quell unrest there, he instead organized an opposition and launched a movement against numerous "foreign interests." He formed a Provisional Government in Anatolia, of which he was elected president, and organized a united resistance to the invading foreigners. The Sultan declared a "holy war" against the nationalists, especially insisting on the execution of Kemal.

When the Sultan signed the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920 and handed over the Ottoman Empire to the allies in exchange for maintaining his power over what remained, almost the entire people went over to Kemal's side. As Kemal's army advanced towards Istanbul, the Allies turned to Greece for help. After 18 months of heavy fighting, the Greeks were defeated in August 1922.

Mustafa Kemal and his comrades well understood the country's true place in the world and its true weight. Therefore, at the height of his military triumph, Mustafa Kemal refused to continue the war and limited himself to holding what he believed to be Turkish national territory.

On November 1, 1922, the Grand National Assembly dissolved the Sultanate of Mehmed VI, and on October 29, 1923, Mustafa Kemal was elected president of the new Turkish Republic. Proclaimed president, Kemal, in fact, without hesitation became a real dictator, outlawing all rival political parties and faking his re-election until his death. Kemal used his absolute power for reforms, hoping to turn the country into a civilized state.

Unlike many other reformers, the Turkish President was convinced that it was pointless to simply modernize the façade. In order for Turkey to survive in the post-war world, it was necessary to make fundamental changes to the entire structure of society and culture. It is debatable how successful the Kemals were in this task, but it was set and carried out under Ataturk with determination and energy.

The word “civilization” is endlessly repeated in his speeches and sounds like a spell: “We will follow the path of civilization and come to it... Those who linger will be drowned by the roaring stream of civilization... Civilization is such a strong fire that whoever ignores it will be burned and destroyed... We will be civilized, and we will be proud of it...". There is no doubt that among the Kemalists, “civilization” meant the unconditional and uncompromising introduction of bourgeois social order, lifestyle and culture of Western Europe.

The new Turkish state adopted a new form of government in 1923 with a president, parliament, and constitution. The one-party system of Kemal's dictatorship lasted for more than 20 years, and only after the death of Atatürk was replaced by a multi-party system.

Mustafa Kemal saw in the caliphate a connection with the past and Islam. Therefore, after the liquidation of the sultanate, he also destroyed the caliphate. The Kemalists openly opposed Islamic orthodoxy, clearing the way for the country to become secular state. The ground for the Kemalist reforms was prepared by the spread of European philosophical and social ideas that were advanced for Turkey, and by the increasingly widespread violation of religious rituals and prohibitions. The Young Turk officers considered it a matter of honor to drink cognac and eat it with ham, which looked terrible sin in the eyes of the zealots of Islam;

Even the first Ottoman reforms limited the power of the ulema and took away some of their influence in the field of law and education. But theologians retained enormous power and authority. After the destruction of the sultanate and caliphate, they remained the only institution of the old regime that resisted the Kemalists.

Kemal, by the power of the President of the Republic, abolished the ancient position of Sheikh-ul-Islam - the first ulema in the state, the Ministry of Sharia, closed individual religious schools and colleges, and later banned Sharia courts. New order was enshrined in the Republican Constitution.

All religious institutions became part of the state apparatus. The Department of Religious Institutions dealt with mosques, monasteries, appointment and removal of imams, muezzins, preachers, and monitoring of muftis. Religion was made, as it were, a department of the bureaucratic machine, and the ulema - civil servants. The Koran was translated into Turkish. The call to prayer began to be heard in Turkish, although the attempt to abandon Arabic in prayers did not succeed - after all, in the Koran, in the end, it was important not only the content, but also the mystical sound of incomprehensible Arabic words. The Kemalists declared Sunday, not Friday, as a day off; the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul was turned into a museum. In the rapidly growing capital Ankara, practically no religious buildings were built. Across the country, authorities looked askance at the emergence of new mosques and welcomed the closure of old ones.

The Turkish Ministry of Education took control of all religious schools. The madrasah that existed at the Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul, which trained ulema of the highest rank, was transferred to the Faculty of Theology of Istanbul University. In 1933, the Institute of Islamic Studies was opened on the basis of this faculty.

However, resistance to laicism - secular reforms - turned out to be stronger than expected. When the Kurdish uprising began in 1925, it was led by one of the Dervish sheikhs, who called for the overthrow of the “godless republic” and the restoration of the caliphate.

In Turkey, Islam existed on two levels - formal, dogmatic - the religion of the state, school and hierarchy, and folk, adapted to the life, rituals, beliefs, traditions of the masses, which found its expression in dervishdom. The inside of a Muslim mosque is simple and even ascetic. There is no altar or sanctuary in it, since Islam does not recognize the Sacraments of communion and ordination. Common prayers are a disciplinary act of community to express submission to the one, immaterial and distant Allah. Since ancient times, the orthodox faith, austere in its worship, abstract in its doctrine, conformist in its politics, has been unable to satisfy the emotional and social needs of a large part of the population. It turned to the cult of saints and to the dervishes who remained close to the people in order to replace or add something to the formal religious ritual. Ecstatic gatherings with music, songs and dances took place in dervish monasteries.

In the Middle Ages, dervishes often acted as leaders and inspirers of religious and social uprisings. At other times they penetrated the government apparatus and exerted enormous, albeit hidden, influence on the actions of ministers and sultans. There was fierce competition among the dervishes for influence on the masses and on the state apparatus. Thanks to their close connection with local variants of guilds and workshops, the dervishes could influence artisans and traders. When reforms began in Turkey, it became clear that it was not the ulema theologians, but the dervishes, who were providing the greatest resistance to laicism.

The struggle sometimes took brutal forms. In 1930, Muslim fanatics killed a young army officer, Kubilai. They surrounded him, threw him to the ground and slowly sawed off his head with a rusty saw, shouting: “Allah is great!”, while the crowd cheered their deed. Since then, Kubilai has been considered a kind of “saint” of Kemalism.

The Kemalists dealt with their opponents without mercy. Mustafa Kemal attacked the dervishes, closed their monasteries, dissolved their orders, and banned meetings, ceremonies and special clothing. The Criminal Code prohibited political associations based on religion. This was a blow to the very depths, although it did not fully achieve the goal: many dervish orders were deeply conspiratorial at that time.

Mustafa Kemal changed the capital of the state. Ankara became it. Even during the struggle for independence, Kemal chose this city for his headquarters, since it was connected by rail with Istanbul and at the same time lay out of reach of enemies. The first session of the national assembly took place in Ankara, and Kemal declared it the capital. He did not trust Istanbul, where everything was reminiscent of the humiliations of the past and too many people were associated with the old regime.

In 1923, Ankara was a small shopping mall with a population of about 30 thousand souls. Its position as the center of the country was subsequently strengthened thanks to the construction railways in radial directions.

The Times newspaper wrote mockingly in December 1923: “Even the most chauvinistic Turks recognize the inconvenience of life in a capital where half a dozen flickering electric lights represent public lighting, where there is hardly any water running from the tap in the houses, where there is a donkey or a horse.” tied to the bars small house, which serves. The Foreign Office, where open gutters run down the middle of the street, where modern fine arts are limited to the consumption of bad raki and the playing of a brass band, where Parliament sits in a house no bigger than a cricket hall."

At that time, Ankara could not offer suitable housing for diplomatic representatives; their excellencies preferred to rent sleeping cars at the station, shortening their stay in the capital in order to quickly leave for Istanbul.

Despite the poverty in the country, Kemal stubbornly pulled Turkey by the ears into civilization. For this purpose, the Kemalists decided to introduce European clothing into everyday life. In one of his speeches, Mustafa Kemal explained his intentions this way: “It was necessary to ban the fez, which sat on the heads of our people as a symbol of ignorance, negligence, fanaticism, hatred of progress and civilization, and to replace it with a hat - a headdress that is used by all civilized people.” peace. Thus, we demonstrate that the Turkish nation in its thinking, as well as in other aspects, does not in any way shy away from civilized public life". Or in another speech: "Friends! Civilized international clothing is dignified and appropriate for our nation, and we will all wear it. Boots or shoes, trousers, shirts and ties, jackets. Of course, it all comes down to what we wear on our heads. This headdress is called a "hat".

A decree was issued that required officials to wear a costume “common to all civilized nations of the world.” At first, ordinary citizens were allowed to dress as they wanted, but then fezzes were outlawed.

For a modern European, the forced change of one headdress to another may seem comical and annoying. For a Muslim this was a matter of great importance. With the help of clothing, a Muslim Turk separated himself from the infidels. The fez at that time was a common headdress for Muslim city dwellers. All other clothes could be European, but the symbol of Ottoman Islam remained on the head - the fez.

The reaction to the actions of the Kemalists was curious. The rector of Al-Azhar University and the Chief Mufti of Egypt wrote at the time: “It is clear that a Muslim who wants to resemble a non-Muslim by adopting his clothes will end up adopting his beliefs and actions. Therefore, one who wears a hat out of inclination to religion, another and out of contempt for one’s own, is an infidel.... Isn’t it crazy to give up one’s national clothes in order to accept the clothes of Other peoples?” Statements of this kind were not published in Turkey, but many shared them.

The change of national clothing has shown in history the desire of the weak to resemble the strong, and the backward to resemble the developed. Medieval Egyptian chronicles say that after the great Mongol conquests of the 12th century, even the Muslim sultans and emirs of Egypt, who repelled the Mongol invasion, began to wear long hair, like Asian nomads.

When Ottoman sultans In the first half of the 19th century, they began to carry out transformations; first of all, they dressed the soldiers in European uniforms, that is, in the costumes of the victors. It was then that a headdress called a fez was introduced instead of a turban. It became so popular that a century later it became the emblem of Muslim orthodoxy.

A humorous newspaper was once published at the Faculty of Law of Ankara University. To the editor’s question “Who is a Turkish citizen?” The students answered: "A Turkish citizen is a person who is married under Swiss civil law, convicted under the Italian criminal code, tried under the German procedural code, this person is governed on the basis of French administrative law and is buried according to the canons of Islam."

Even many decades after the Kemalists introduced new legal norms, a certain artificiality is felt in their application to Turkish society.

Swiss civil law, revised in relation to the needs of Turkey, was adopted in 1926. Some legal reforms were carried out earlier, under the Tanzimat (transformations of the mid-19th century) and the Young Turks. However, in 1926, secular authorities for the first time dared to invade the reserve of the ulema - family and religious life. Instead of the “will of Allah,” the decisions of the National Assembly were proclaimed to be the source of law.

The adoption of the Swiss Civil Code has changed a lot in family relationships. By prohibiting polygamy, the law gave women the right to divorce, introduced the divorce process, and eliminated legal inequality between men and women. Of course, the new code had very specific specific features. Take, for example, the fact that he gave a woman the right to demand a divorce from her husband if he hid that he was unemployed. However, the conditions of society and the traditions established over centuries restrained the application of new marriage and family norms in practice. For a girl who wants to get married, virginity was (and is) considered an indispensable condition. If the husband discovered that his wife was not a virgin, he would send her back to her parents, and for the rest of her life, she would bear the shame, like her entire family. Sometimes she was killed without mercy by her father or brother.

Mustafa Kemal strongly supported the emancipation of women. Women were admitted to commercial faculties during the First World War, and in the 20s they appeared in the classrooms of the humanities faculty of Istanbul University. They were allowed to be on the decks of ferries that crossed the Bosphorus, although previously they were not allowed out of their cabins, and were allowed to ride in the same compartments of trams and railway cars as men.

In one of his speeches, Mustafa Kemal attacked the veil. “It causes a woman great suffering during the heat,” he said. “Men! This happens because of our selfishness. Let’s not forget that women have the same moral concepts as we do.” The President demanded that "the mothers and sisters of a civilized people" behave appropriately. “The custom of covering women’s faces makes our nation a laughing stock,” he believed. Mustafa Kemal decided to implement the emancipation of women within the same limits as in Western Europe. Women gained the right to vote and be elected to municipalities and parliament

In addition to civil law, the country received new codes for all sectors of life. The criminal code was influenced by the laws of fascist Italy. Articles 141-142 were used to crack down on communists and all leftists. Kemal did not like communists. The great Nazim Hikmet spent many years in prison for his commitment to communist ideas.

Kemal did not like Islamists either. The Kemalists removed the article “The religion of the Turkish state is Islam” from the constitution. The Republic, both according to the constitution and laws, has become a secular state.

Mustafa Kemal, knocking the fez off the Turk's head and introducing European codes, tried to instill in his compatriots a taste for sophisticated entertainment. On the first anniversary of the republic, he threw a ball. Most of the men gathered were officers. But the president noticed that they did not dare to invite the ladies to dance. The women refused them and were embarrassed. The President stopped the orchestra and exclaimed: “Friends, I can’t imagine that in the whole world there is at least one woman who can refuse to dance with a Turkish officer! And now - go ahead, invite the ladies!” And he himself set an example. In this episode, Kemal plays the role of Turkish Peter I, who also forcibly introduced European customs.

The transformations also affected the Arabic alphabet, which is indeed convenient for the Arabic language, but not suitable for Turkish. The temporary introduction of the Latin alphabet for Turkic languages ​​in the Soviet Union prompted Mustafa Kemal to do the same. The new alphabet was prepared in a few weeks. The President of the Republic appeared in a new role - a teacher. During one of the holidays, he addressed the audience: “My friends! Our rich harmonious language will be able to express itself in new Turkish letters. We must free ourselves from the incomprehensible icons that have held our minds in an iron grip for centuries. We must quickly learn new Turkish letters "We must teach them to our countrymen, women and men, porters and boatmen. This must be considered a patriotic duty. Do not forget that it is disgraceful for a nation to consist of ten to twenty percent literate and eighty to ninety percent illiterate."

The National Assembly passed a law introducing a new Turkish alphabet and banning the use of Arabic from January 1, 1929.

The introduction of the Latin alphabet not only facilitated the education of the population. It marked a new stage in the break with the past, a blow to Muslim beliefs.

According to the mystical teachings brought to Turkey from Iran in the Middle Ages and adopted by the Bektashi dervish order, the image of Allah is the face of a person, the sign of a person is his language, which is expressed by 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet. "They contain all the secrets of Allah, man and eternity." For an orthodox Muslim, the text of the Quran, including the language in which it is written and the script in which it is printed, is considered eternal and indestructible.

The Turkish language in Ottoman times became difficult and artificial, borrowing not only words, but also entire expressions, even grammatical rules from Persian and Arabic. Over the years he became more and more pompous and inelastic. During the reign of the Young Turks, the press began to use a somewhat simplified Turkish language. This was required for political, military, and propaganda purposes.

After the introduction of the Latin alphabet, opportunities opened up for deeper language reform. Mustafa Kemal founded the linguistic society. It has set itself the task of reducing and gradually removing Arabic and grammatical borrowings, many of which have become entrenched in the Turkish cultural language.

This was followed by a bolder attack on the Persian and Arabic words themselves, accompanied by overlaps. Arabic and Persian were the classical languages ​​of the Turks and contributed the same elements to Turkish as Greek and Latin contributed to European languages. The radicals of the linguistic society were opposed to Arabic and Persian words as such, even though they formed a significant part of the language spoken by the Turks every day. The society prepared and published a list of foreign words condemned for eviction. Meanwhile, researchers collected “purely Turkish” words from dialects, other Turkic languages, and ancient texts to find a replacement. When nothing suitable was found, new words were invented. Terms of European origin, equally alien to the Turkish language, were not persecuted, and were even imported to fill the void created by the abandonment of Arabic and Persian words.

Reform was needed, but not everyone agreed with extreme measures. An attempt to separate from the millennial cultural heritage caused impoverishment rather than purification of the tongue. In 1935, a new directive stopped for some time the expulsion of familiar words and restored some of the Arabic and Persian borrowings.

Be that as it may, the Turkish language has changed significantly in less than two generations. For a modern Turk, sixty-year-old documents and books with numerous Persian and Arabic designs bear the stamp of archaism and the Middle Ages. Turkish youth are separated from the relatively recent past by a high wall. The results of the reform are beneficial. In the new Turkey, the language of newspapers, books, and government documents is approximately the same as the spoken language of the cities.

In 1934, it was decided to abolish all titles of the old regime and replace them with the titles "Mr" and "Madam". At the same time, on January 1, 1935, surnames were introduced. Mustafa Kemal received the surname Atatürk (father of the Turks) from the Grand National Assembly, and his closest associate, the future president and leader of the Republican People's Party Ismet Pasha - Inönü - after the place where he won a major victory over the Greek interventionists.

Although surnames in Turkey are a recent thing, and everyone could choose something worthy for themselves, the meaning of surnames is as diverse and unexpected as in other languages. Most Turks have come up with quite suitable surnames for themselves. Akhmet the Grocer became Akhmet the Grocer. Ismail the postman remained the Postman, the basket maker remained the Basket Man. Some chose surnames such as Polite, Smart, Handsome, Honest, Kind. Others picked up Deaf, Fat, Son of a Man Without Five Fingers. There is, for example, the One with a Hundred Horses, or the Admiral, or the Son of the Admiral. Last names like Crazy or Naked could have come from an argument with a government official. Someone used the official list of recommended surnames, and this is how the Real Turk, the Big Turk, and the Severe Turk appeared.

The last names indirectly pursued another goal. Mustafa Kemal sought historical arguments to restore the Turks' sense of national pride, undermined over the previous two centuries by almost continuous defeats and internal collapse. It was primarily the intelligentsia who spoke about national dignity. Her instinctive nationalism was defensive in nature towards Europe. One can imagine the feelings of a Turkish patriot of those days who read European literature and almost always found the word "Turk" used with a tinge of disdain. True, the educated Turks forgot how they themselves or their ancestors despised their neighbors from the comforting position of the “superior” Muslim civilization and imperial power.

When Mustafa Kemal uttered the famous words: “What a blessing to be a Turk!” - they fell on fertile ground. His sayings sounded like a challenge to the rest of the world; They also show that any statements must be coupled with specific historical conditions. This saying of Ataturk is now repeated an infinite number of times in every way, with or without reason.

During the time of Ataturk, the “solar language theory” was put forward, which stated that all languages ​​of the world originated from Turkish (Turkic). The Sumerians, Hittites, Etruscans, even the Irish and Basques were declared Turks. One of the “historical” books from the time of Ataturk reported the following: “In Central Asia there was once a sea. It dried up and became a desert, forcing the Turks to begin nomadism... The eastern group of Turks founded the Chinese civilization..."

Another group of Turks supposedly conquered India. The third group migrated south - to Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and along the North African coast to Spain. The Turks, who settled in the Aegean and Mediterranean areas, according to the same theory, founded the famous Cretan civilization. Ancient Greek civilization came from the Hittites, who, of course, were Turks. The Turks also penetrated deep into Europe and, crossing the sea, settled the British Isles. "These migrants surpassed the peoples of Europe in arts and knowledge, saved Europeans from cave life and put them on the path of mental development."

This is the stunning history of the world that was studied in Turkish schools in the 50s. Its political meaning was defensive nationalism, but its chauvinistic overtones were visible to the naked eye

In the 1920s, the Kemal government did a lot to support private initiative. But socio-economic reality has shown that in Turkey this method is pure form does not work. The bourgeoisie rushed into trade, house-building, speculation, and was engaged in foam production, thinking last of all about national interests and the development of industry. The regime of officers and officials, who retained a certain contempt for traders, then watched with increasing displeasure as private entrepreneurs ignored calls to invest money in the industry.

The global economic crisis struck, hitting Turkey hard. Mustafa Kemal turned to the policy of state regulation of the economy. This practice was called statism. The government extended state ownership to large sectors of industry and transport, and on the other hand opened markets to foreign investors. This policy will be repeated in dozens of variants by many countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America. In the 1930s, Turkey ranked third in the world in terms of industrial development.

However, the Kemalist reforms extended mainly to the cities. Only at the very edge did they touch the village, where almost half of the Turks still live, and during the reign of Ataturk the majority lived.

Several thousand “people's rooms” and several hundred “people's houses”, designed to propagate Atatürk’s ideas, never brought them to the heart of the population.

The cult of Ataturk in Turkey is official and widespread, but it can hardly be considered unconditional. Even the Kemalists who swear allegiance to his ideas actually go their own way. The Kemalist claim that every Turk loves Ataturk is just a myth. Mustafa Kemal's reforms had many enemies, open and secret, and attempts to abandon some of his reforms do not stop in our time.

Left-wing politicians constantly recall the repressions suffered by their predecessors under Atatürk and consider Mustafa Kemal simply a strong bourgeois leader.

The stern and brilliant soldier and the large statesman Mustafa Kemal had both virtues and human weaknesses. He had a sense of humor, loved women and fun, but retained the sober mind of a politician. He was respected in society, although his personal life was scandalous and promiscuous. Kemal is often compared to Peter I. Like the Russian emperor, Ataturk had a weakness for alcohol. He died on November 10, 1938 from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 57. His early death was a tragedy for Turkey.

The name Ataturk Mustafa Kemal is known to many. His political achievements are still praised by his compatriots. He was the founder of the Turkish Republic and the first president. Some are proud of the politician’s activities, others find disadvantages. And we will try to analyze Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and learn about his achievements.

The beginning of life's journey

In 1881, in the Ottoman city of Thessaloniki (now Greece), the future leader of the Turks was born. The interesting thing is that exact date birth policy is still unknown. This is due to the fact that Mustafa’s two brothers died at birth, and the parents, not believing in the future of their third son, did not even remember his birthday.

The history of the Ataturk family lasted more than one century. The father of the great figure was from the Kojajik tribe. My father could not boast of successes in military affairs. Although he was able to rise to the rank of senior officer, he ended his life as a market trader. The mother of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was an ordinary peasant woman. Although, according to historians, Zubeyde Khanum and her relatives were known in their social stratum for their religious teachings.

Training a Little Dictator

Apparently this is why Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, whose biography is known to many of his compatriots, went to school religious direction. This was very important for his mother, therefore, despite his obstinate character, the future leader tolerated strict orders and established boundaries of what was permitted.

It is unknown how the boy’s fate would have turned out later if it had not been for his transfer to the economic sphere. Then my father returned from service in Europe. He was impressed by the newfangled desire of young people to study finance, and he decided that this approach to his son’s education would be most suitable.

Of course, translation was a great joy for Mustafa. But after some time, Ataturk began to be burdened by the monotonous everyday life at the school of economists. And he began to spend a lot of time with his father. Naturally, he was fascinated by military affairs and what dad did. In his free time, he began to study strategy and tactics.

But in 1888, the father of the future Turkish leader died. Then Ataturk Mustafa Kemal decided to continue his studies at a military school. Now garrison life was necessary for the guy. He went all the way through his training to senior officer with inspiration and thoughts about the future. In 1899, after receiving secondary education, he entered the Istanbul Military School.

It was here that he received the middle name “Kemal” from a local mathematics teacher. From Turkish it meant “impeccable” and “perfect,” which, according to teachers, characterized the young leader. He graduated from college with the rank of lieutenant and went on to study at the Military Academy. Upon completion, he became a staff captain.

World War I under the influence of Ataturk

The biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk still amazes with its brightness and success. The ruler faced real victories and defeats for the first time. He proved to the Entente that his training was not in vain and that it would not be so easy for his enemies. A month later, Atatürk Mustafa Kemal again repulsed the Entente forces on the Gellipoli Peninsula. These achievements allowed the Turk to get even closer to his cherished goal: he received the rank of colonel.

In August 1915, Kemal justified his title - under his command the Turks won the battle of Anafartalar, Kirechtepe and Anafartalar again. The very next year, Mustafa was promoted again and he became a lieutenant general. After many victories, Ataturk returned to Istanbul and after some time left for Germany, to the front line.

Despite serious illness, Mustafa tried to return to the ranks of his army as soon as possible. Having become commander, he carried out a brilliant defensive operation. At the end of 1918, the army was disbanded, and the future president returned to Istanbul and began working in the Ministry of Defense.

From that moment on, many reforms were carried out, thanks to which the salvation of the fatherland became real. Ankara greeted Ataturk with all honors. The Turkish Republic did not yet exist, but the first step had already been taken - Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was elected to the post of head of government.

with the help of the RSFSR

The war between the Turks and the Armenians took place in three periods. At that time, Ataturk became the real leader of his country. The Bolsheviks helped him both financially and militarily. Moreover, the RSFSR supported the Turks for all two years (from 1920 to 1922). At the beginning of the war, Kemal wrote to Lenin and asked him for military support, after which the Turks received 6 thousand rifles, cartridges, shells and even gold bars.

In March 1921, an agreement on “friendship and brotherhood” was concluded in Moscow. Then the supply of weapons was also proposed. The result of the war was the signing of a peace treaty, which defined the borders of the warring countries.

Greco-Turkish war with numerous losses

The exact date of the start of the war is unknown. Nevertheless, the Turks decided to consider May 15, 1919 the beginning of the confrontation with the Greeks. Then the Greeks landed in Izmir, and the Turks fired their first shots at the enemies. Over the entire period of the battle, many key battles took place, which most often ended in victory for the Turks.

Just after one of them, the Battle of Sakarya, Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk received the title of “Ghazi” and the new honorary title of Marshal from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

In August 1922, Ataturk decided to carry out the final offensive, which was supposed to decide the outcome of the war. In fact, this is what happened - from a tactical point of view. The Greek troops were destroyed, but during the retreat there was not enough fleet for all the soldiers and only a third were able to escape from the ambush. The rest were captured.

However, regardless of tactics, both sides lost this war. Both the Greeks and the Turks carried out brutal acts against civilians, and a huge number of people were left homeless.

Achievements of a great ruler

When the name Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is mentioned, short biography should also contain the leader’s achievements. Naturally, the most impressive reforms occurred after his appointment as president. Immediately, in 1923, the country switched to a new form of government - a parliament and a constitution appeared.

The new city was Ankara. The reforms that followed were not based on “ cosmetic repairs"of the country, and specifically on a full-fledged internal restructuring. Kemal was sure that for fundamental changes it was necessary to fundamentally turn everything around in society, culture and economy.

The impetus for change was the belief in “civilization.” This word sounded in every speech of the president; the global idea was to impose Western European traditions and customs on Turkish society. During his reign, Kemal abolished not only the sultanate, but also the caliphate. At the same time, many religious schools and colleges were closed.

Magnificent mausoleum in honor of the Turkish President

Anıtkabir (or Atatürk's Mausoleum) is the burial place of Mustafa Kemal in Ankara. The incredible and grandiose structure is a popular attraction for tourists. Construction was conceived in 1938 after the death of the Turkish president. The architects tried to create such a cultural monument that for many centuries it would indicate the majesty of this politician and become a manifestation of the grief of the entire Turkish people.

Construction of the mausoleum began only in 1944, and the building was opened 9 years later. Nowadays the area of ​​the entire complex occupies more than 750 thousand square meters. Inside there are also many sculptures that remind locals and tourists from all over the world of the greatness of the departed ruler.

Opinion about the ruler

The public's opinion of the Turkish president is twofold. Of course, people still revere him, because it’s not for nothing that Ataturk is considered the “father of the Turks.” Many politicians also spoke flatteringly about Kemal's rule in their time. Hitler, for example, considered himself the second student of Ataturk, while Mussolini was considered the first.

Many considered the leader a brilliant ruler and, undoubtedly, an impeccable military leader, since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk knew “everything and even more” about the war. Some still believed that his reforms were anti-democratic, and the desire to rebuild the country led to a harsh dictatorship.