Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was a Turkish military officer and statesman who led the founding of the Republic of Turkey. He commanded the Turkish National Movement during the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1922) and served as the Republic’s first president from 1923 until his death. The surname Atatürk, meaning "Father of the Turks," was conferred by the Turkish Parliament in 1934.

Born in Salonika (now Thessaloniki, Greece) in the Ottoman Empire, Atatürk trained as a military officer and fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I. Following the Ottoman defeat, he organized nationalist resistance to occupying powers and emerged as the leader of the movement that replaced the sultanate with a new, secular Turkish state.

Under Atatürk’s leadership, Turkey pursued extensive political, legal, and cultural reforms aimed at modernization and secularism. The sultanate was abolished in 1922 and the caliphate in 1924, the Turkish alphabet was reformulated to a Latin script (officially adopted in 1928), and Western-style laws and institutions were introduced. The Hat Law of 1925 and other cultural reforms promoted Western dress and customs. Education was centralized and secularized, and women's rights expanded, with national suffrage granted in 1934.

Atatürk died on 10 November 1938 in Istanbul. He remains a central figure in Turkish history as the architect of the transition from empire to republic. His legacy is interpreted differently: supporters emphasize modernization and secularism, while critics note the authoritative means by which reforms were implemented.