Atatürk was born in Selanik in 1881. His father was Ali Rıza Efendi, and his mother was Zübeyde Hanım. His parents called him Mustafa.
His father , Ali Rıza Efendi died when little Mustafa started primary school, so they moved to another city. They stayed there with his uncle. His worked on his uncle's farm for some time. Then, he went back to Selanik, and started Şemsi Efendi School again. Later, he entered the exam for the Military School and he passed it.
He was very good at maths in the Militariy School. His maths teacher liked him very much. One day, he said to him "Your name is Mustafa. My name is Mustafa. That's why I'm giving you the name Kemal. Your name is Mustafa Kemal from now on. His name became Mustafa Kemal then. He was very hardworking student. He finished the Military School and joined the army as a young officer. He fought in Çanakkaler Wars. Then, He became the chief commander of the Turkish Independence War. His enemies were Englishes,Frenches, İtalians and Greeks.You see, He saved our country with his friends from the very strong nations of the world. And he overcomed them.
Then, He invited the all Turkish patriots to Ankara on the "19th of March,1920". He opend the Turkish Grand National Assembly by a religious ceremony on the "23rd of April, 1920".
Atatürk is founder of the Young Turkish Republic. He founded the Republic of Turkey on the "29th of October, 1923". And he became the first president of the Turkish republic. In 1934 The Turkish Grand National Assembly gave him the surname "Atatürk". Atatürk means the father of Turks in English language.
He died on the "10th of November, 1938". His mausoleum is in Ankara. Ankara is the capital city of the Turkey. It's in the middle of Turkey.
ATATURK’S PRINCIPLES
Republicanism:
The Kemalist reforms represent a political revolution; a change from the multinational Ottoman Empire to the establishment of the nation state of Turkey and the realisation of national identity of modern Turkey. Kemalism only recognises a Republican regime for Turkey. Kemalism believes that it is only the republican regime which can best represent the wishes of the people.
Populism:
The Kemalist revolution was also a social revolution in term of its content and goals. This was a revolution led by an elite with an orientation towards the people in general. The Kemalist reforms brought about a revolutionary change in the status of women through the adoption of Western codes of law in Turkey, in particular the Swiss Civil Code.
Moreover, women received the right to vote in 1934. Atatürk stated on a number of occasions that the true rulers of Turkey were the peasants. This was actually a goal rather than a reality in Turkey. In fact, in the official explanation given to the principle of populism it was stated that Kemalism was against class privileges and class distinctions and it recognized no individual, no family, no class and no organization as being above others. Kemalist ideology was, in fact, based on supreme value of Turkish citizenship. A sense of pride associated with this citizenship would give the needed psychological spur to the people to make them work harder and to achieve a sense of unity and national identity.
Secularism:
Kemalist secularism did not merely mean separation of state and religion, but also the separation of religion from educational, cultural and legal affairs. It meant independence of thought and independence of institutions from the dominance of religious thinking and religious institutions. Thus, the Kemalist revolution was also a secularist revolution. Many Kemalist reforms were made to bring about secularism, and others were realised because secularism had been achieved.
The Kemalist principle of secularism did not advocate atheism. It was not an anti-God principle. It was a rationalist, anti-clerical secularism. The Kemalist principle of secularism was not against an enlightened Islam, but against an Islam which was opposed to modernisation.
Reformism:
One of the most important principles that Atatürk formulated was the principle of reformism or revolutionism. This principle meant that Turkey made reforms and that the country replaced traditional institutions with modern institutions. It meant that traditional concepts were eliminated and modern concepts were adopted. The principle of reformism went beyond the recognition of the reforms which were made.
Nationalism:
The Kemalist revolution was also a nationalist revolution. Kemalist nationalism was not racist. It was meant to preserve the independence of the Republic of Turkey and also to help the Republic's political development. It was a nationalism which respected the right to independence of all other nations. It was a nationalism with a social content. It was not only anti-imperialist, but it was also against the rule of a dynasty or of any particular social class over Turkish society. Kemalist nationalism believes in the principle that the Turkish state is an indivisible whole comprising its territory and people.
Statism:
Kemal Atatürk made clear in his statements and policies that Turkey's complete modernisation was very much dependent on economic and technological development. The principle of statism was interpreted to mean that the state was to regulate the country's general economic activity and the state was to engage in areas where private enterprise was not willing to do so, or where private enterprise had proved to be inadequate, or if national interest required it. In the application of the principle of statism, however, the state emerged not only as the principle source of economic activity but also as the owner of the major industries of the country.
ATATURK'S SAYINGS
Our great ideal is to raise our nation to highest standars of civilization and porsperity.
Büyük hedefimiz, milletimizi en yüksek medeniyet seviyesine ve refaha ulaştırmaktır.
Teachers: the new generation will be your devotion.
Öğretmenler: Yeni nesiller sizlerin eseri olacaktır.
Happy is the one who says, "I'm a Turk".
Ne mutlu "Türküm" diyene.
Peace at home, peace in the world.
Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh.
As they have come, so they will go.
Geldikleri gibi giderler.
One day my mortal body will turn to dust, but the Turkish Republic will stand forever.
Benim naciz vücudum elbet bir gün toprak olacaktır, ancak Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ilelebet payidar kalacaktır.
I have been able to teach many things to this nation, but I haven't been able to teach how to be lackeys.
Bu millete çok şey öğretebildim ama onlara uşak olmayı bir türlü öğretemedim.
Turkey's true master is the peasant.
Memleketin efendisi hakiki müstahsil olan köylüdür.
Do not be afraid of telling the truth.
Doğruyu söylemekten korkmayınız.
To see me does not necessarily mean to see my face. To understand my thoughts is to have seen me.
Beni görmek demek mutlaka yüzümü görmek demek değildir. Benim fikirlerimi, benim duygularımı anlıyorsanız ve hissediyorsanız bu yeterlidir.
The Turkish Republic will be happy, prosperous and victorious.
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti mutlu, zengin ve muzaffer olacaktır.
A healthy mind in a healthy body.
Sağlam kafa sağlam vücutta bulunur.
Armies, your first goal is the Mediterranean. Forward!
Ordular, ilk hedefiniz Akdenizdir. İleri!
Culture is the foundation of the Turkish Republic.
Türkiye Cumhuriyetinin temeli kültürdür.
Following the military triumph we accomplished by bayonets, weapons and blood, we shall strive to win victories in such fields as culture, scholarship, science and economics.
Süngülerle, silahlarla ve kanla kazandığımız askeri zaferlerden sonra, kültür, bilim, fen ve ekonomi alanlarında da zaferler kazanmaya devam edeceğiz.
Victory is for those who can say "Victory is mine". Success is for those who can begin saying "I will succeed" and say "I have succeeded" in the end.
Zafer, "Zafer benimdir" diyebilenindir. Başarı ise, "Başaracağım" diye başlayarak sonunda "Başardım" diyebilenindir.
Sovereignty is not given, it is taken.
Egemenlik verilmez, alınır.
Authority, without any condition and reservation, belongs to the nation.
Egemenlik, kayıtsız şartsız ulusundur.
Teachers are the one and only people who save nations.
Milleti kurtaranlar yalnız ve ancak öğretmenlerdir.
Our true mentor in life is science.
Hayatta en hakiki mürşit ilimdir.
The Turkish Nation consists of the valiant descendants of a people that has lived independently and has considered independence the sole condition of existence. This nation has never lived without freedom, cannot and never will.
Türk Milleti bağımsız yaşamış ve bağımsızlığı varolmalarının yegane koşulu olarak kabul etmiş cesur insanların torunlarıdır. Bu millet hiçbir zaman hür olmadan yaşamamıştır, yaşayamaz ve yaşamayacaktır.
We Turks are a people who, throughout our history, have been the very embodiment of freedom and independence.
Biz Türkler tarih boyunca hürriyet ve istiklale timsal olmuş bir milletiz.
Our nation has succeeded owing to the unshakable unity it has shown in its actions and endeavours.
Milletimiz davranışlarında ve gayretlerinde sarsılmaz bir bütünlük gösterdiği için başarılı olmuştur.
There are two Mustafa Kemals; one is flesh-and-bone Mustafa Kemal who now stands before you and will pass away. The other one is you, all of you who will go to the far corners of our land to speand the ideals which must be defended with your lives if necessary. I stand for the nation's dreams, and my life's work is to make them come true.
İki Mustafa Kemal vardır: Biri ben, et ve kemik, geçici Mustafa Kemal... İkinci Mustafa Kemal, onu "ben" kelimesiyle ifade edemem; o, ben değil, bizdir! O, memleketin her köşesinde yeni fikir, yeni hayat ve büyük ülkü için uğraşan aydın ve savaşçı bir topluluktur. Ben, onların rüyasını temsil ediyorum. Benim teşebbüslerim, onların özlemini çektikleri şeyleri tatmin içindir. O Mustafa Kemal sizsiniz, hepinizsiniz. Geçici olmayan, yaşaması ve başarılı olması gereken Mustafa Kemal odur!
POEMS ON ATATURK
I AM THINKING MUSTAFA KEMAL
I am thinking of Mustafa Kemal:
On a bay horse with a mane of flame
He passes the high mountains, the deep seas.
His gold hair waves in the wind,
His blue eyes burning bright.
I am thinking of Mustafa Kemal:
In the burnt, ravaged fields of war
He creates epics such as the world has never seen,
Great armies follow him,
Each soldier like Mustafa Kemal.
I am thinking of Mustafa Kemal:
Worth all the heroes of history
He rules the boundless skies,
A naked sword on a bay horse
He goes from victory to victory.
I am thinking of Mustafa Kemal:
He did not die one November morning!
He is still with us everywhere,
He lives in all parts of the land
In the veins of our hearts.
I am thinking of Mustafa Kemal:
His gold hair waves in the wind,
I see his blue eyes shining bright.
He enters my dreams at night.
I kiss his hands.
Ümit Yaşar OĞUZCAN
ATATURK
If they ask who it is
Who stretches his arms over us night and day,
Who shows us the loveliest of days,
Who breathes new life into the Turkish nation,
It is Ataturk.
Whatever meets the eye,
The dawns that illuminate our country,
The weapons that terrify our enemies,
The shipyards, factories and merchants’ counters,
It is Ataturk.
Wherever one looks,
He appears divine in all places,
On the land, in the sea, in the sky,
The heart worships and is transported with joy,
It is Ataturk.
Turkish women teach their sons his name
Before those of their own fathers.
He taught us to take pleasure in living.
We are happy if he is happy.
It is Ataturk.
Faruk Nafız ÇAMLIBEL
Turkish Youth! (Gençliğe Hitabe)
Your first duty is to forever preserve and defend Turkish Independence and Turkish Republic.
This is the very foundation of your existence and your future. This foundation is your most precious treasure. In the future, too, there may be malevolent people at home and abroad, who will wish to deprive you of this treasure. If some day you are compelled to defend your independence and your Republic, you will not think about the possibilities and circumstances of the situation you are in. These possibilities and circumstances may be extremely unfavorable. The enemies conspiring against your independence and your Republic may have behind them a victory unprecedented in the annals of the world. It may be that, by violence and ruse, all the fortresses of your beloved fatherland may have been captured, all its shipyards occupied, all its armies dispersed and every corner of the country invaded. And sadder and graver than all these circumstances, those who are in power within the country may be in error or misguide and they may even be traitors. Furthermore, they may identify personal interests with the political designs of the invaders. The country may be impoverished, ruined and exhausted .
Youth of Türkiye's future!
Even in such circumstances, it is your duty to save Turkish Independence and Republic.
You will find the strength you need in your noble blood.
Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Ankara, October 20, 1927
