Did Ataturk cultivate the idea of revolution or demolish them?
The historical debate continues to survive concerning whether the impressive figure, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a remarkable leader of the Islamic Ottoman Empire, who led the nation to form the Republic of Turkey or abolished the true ideals of the nation when gaining ultimate power. Through his control between 1923-1938, Ataturk successfully embarked on a program of revolutionary social and political reform that furthered and modernized Turkey, with this he emerged as the ultimate conqueror or an idol for the citizens of Turkey. Although the pride and honor many commended his achievement and triumph for, controversy arises and critics discuss otherwise. Individuals are left questioning if he abolished the true ethics within Turkey, such as religious views and the Islamic way of life. In order to express an opinion on Ataturk’s achievements or wrong doings when governing, the contrasting views create a perspective on the highly influential leader.
To clearly understand whether Mustafa Kemal Ataturk advanced or destroyed the principles throughout the Turkish revolution, one must define these principles and highlight their importance towards the Turks. Independence, equality and fraternity, which were the major concepts that defined the very spirit of the Kemalist revolution. Quoted from Ataturk himself “Sovereignty is not given, it is taken.” (P. Kinross, Father of Modern Turkey, 1946, p.107) From this, individuals recognize the perspective and vision he had for Turkey and the determination he embraced in order to create his ideal vision for Turkey.
Ataturk aspired to provide and furnish his nation with a new sense of dignity and happiness. After more than three centur...
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...ious dress or practice involving Islamic culture. The traditional garb of local religious leaders was outlawed. The fez (Turkish hat) was banned for men and the veil and hijab (headscarves) were discouraged and restricted for women. After some time the Ataturk regime moved towards more extreme measures. Ataturk restricted all holy teachings or education in schools across Turkey. Existing mosques were turned into museums or used for the regimes secular intentions. “Ataturk was a brutal dictator who forced Turks to give up their language and there religion by force. He used brutal military repression against all those that stood in his way such has Seyh Sait rebellion, an uprising in southeastern Turkey that may have claimed as many as 30,000 lives before being suppressed. He forced women in Angora to unveil during his rein in power.” (A. Mango. Ataturk, 2011 P. 76)
The Young Turks, a group of young military officers who wanted to keep their country’s decline from continuing, wanted to improve general conditions for certain peoples in the Ottoman empire. Not only was anyone who was not Muslim treated as second class citizens, they were also required by law to pay more for their taxes than a muslim civilian. Realizing this, in the 1890s and early 1900s, an organization called The Young Turks arose, pressing for political reform calling for the right to vote, a constitutional government and and an end to discriminatory practices such as the aforementioned raised taxes. Eventually, The Young Turks staged a coup successfully in an attempt to change the rule to a constitutional monarchy . This, however, had some unforeseen consequences.
The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest running empires in history, spanning 624 years. The women of the Ottoman empire were often limited to the household of their husband’s and held back by Ottoman lawmakers and authorities. The point of view of outsiders varied, but there were both positive and negative views. Women in Ottoman society had extremely restricted roles as shown in documents 2, 3, 4, and 1. Document 2 is a chapter of the Qur’an with regard to women’s rights, behavior, and treatment.
Prior to my research, there were two interesting articles that have struck my attention regarding the states and issues that are being discussed in this essay. The first article is A Survey of the Turkish Empire by Sir William Eton. In the article, Eton discusses his admiration of the glorious army that had once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. He describes the Turkish army as “formidable”, and organized. Eton tune quickly changes by criticizing their faults and ultimately what led to their demise. Eton states that “it is a mob assembled rather than an army levied.” This article had great impact because while researching the topic, I was able to better understand the role of the military in the Ottoman Empire.
...itly the Christian Orthodox and Jews, which were the largest minority groups from Turkey. In addition, according to nationalist elites, these minorities were assimilable thus, were not capable of becoming part of the Turkish nation. Also, they stated that, the Non-Muslim minorities, mainly the Greek, were not composed of loyal citizens but possible traitors to the Turkish state (Guven 2006). Adnan Menderes believed that was national and extremely important responsibility of every Turk to implement the Turkification, in an attempt to establish an independent Turkish state. A corollary of this concept was the effort of assimilation of the Greek minority by force, exercising a policy of discrimination and restrictions against it. In this context, the language, culture and desires of Non-Muslim minorities had to be connected with the history and dignity of Turks.
17Kili, Dr. Suna. ?Islam and Secularism in Contemporary Turkey.? Voice of Ataturk: Ataturk Society of America. Web. Dec. 10 2013.
Roberts, Mark. "Ataturk: Lessons in Leadership from the Greatest General of the Ottoman Empire. By Austin Bay. (New York, N.Y.: Palgrave- McMillan, 2011)." Journal of Strategic Security 5, no. 1 (2012): 89-92.
Sultan Mahmud II, and various other Europeanized Ottoman bureaucrats initiated what is known today as the largest reform movement in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The Tanzimat changed life in the Ottoman Empire drastically, and completely revolutionized how the Ottomans lived. Previously, the empire was home to various different, nationalities, races, religions and cultures. During the Tanzimat, a major effort was made to unite these people, which is often referred to as the policy of Ottomanism. This resulted in the creation of a national anthem, and the establishment of a national flag. In the past, Islamic law was predominant, but was replaced by secular law, so no individual groups were left out. The Tanzimat’s main focus was to replace it’s old, outdated ways, with more of a westernized approach. The reforms varied greatly, but for the most part, they were all made to help modernize the empire.
...mplementation of Islamic law for the entire Ottoman Empire. When this occurred it was a transformation that no one saw coming and was truly unprecedented.
The religion of Islam was imposed upon Iranians, whether they liked it or not. Marjane and her classmates “...didn’t like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to”(Satrapi 3). The young girls were against wearing the veil because they were not practicing
At the height of its power (16th-17th century), the Ottoman Empire spanned three continents long. The Ottoman Empire controlled Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. It contained twenty-nine provinces and man vassal states, some of which were later immersed into the empire, while others were allowed other types of sovereignty during the course of several centuries. The empire was at the center of interaction between the Eastern and Western worlds for six centuries. With Constantinople as its capital city, and large control of lands around the eastern Mediterranean during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman overruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566. It is remarkable that though in Turkey he is distinguished only as the law-giver (Kanuni), in European history he is known by titles such as the Magnificent. Suleiman had no noteworthy rivals and was one of the most fortunate of the sultans. From his father he inherited a well-organized army, a disciplined army, and a sufficient treasury. Being raised in such a political environment, Suleiman would grow up to be the embodiment of all the excellent qualities of his Father’s talented generals, admirals, and viziers. Suleiman was a generous man even as a child. As a young boy, he befriended Pargali Ibrahim, a slave who later became one of his most trusted advisers. Suleiman believed greatly is his cause of spreading his law based on the Islamic system of law (Sharia). Su...
From the 18th century through the beginning of the 19th century, European influence was a significant force in various aspects of the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Iran. Although the reforms, coined primarily by Gelvin as “defensive developmentalism,” were initially intended to centralize governmental control and strengthen the military, the actual effects were much broader. Based on varying pre-existing conditions and unique approaches to governorship, this process of modernization affected each region differently. This essay will explore the manners in which European influence shaped each territory, the primary areas of civilization, politics and culture that experienced reform, and the degree to which that influence was significant, or in the case of Iran, insignificant.
She explains the progression from standard politics to biopolitics in the Ottoman empire. As a rights based state, and seeing as it copied a portion of its regulations, those from the constitution, from napoleonic, french law. But with the tanzimat period, the era in which reforms were being made to all areas of politics in the Ottoman Empire, the state began to further incorporate gendered criminal codes. In 1926, the Ottoman Empire's successor, Turkey, started to take ideas from the Italians. This new development only increased the strength of the chokehold the state held
Cicek, Kemal. “The Cambridge History of Turkey. Volume 3: The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839.” Journal of the Economic &Social History of the Orient 52, no.1 (2009): 153-158. EBSCO.
The Ottoman Empire had humble roots. Beginning as an Ottoman state, it progressively rose to power to become an empire. As a state, the Ottoman state started as a small state in current-day western Turkey. Based on Muslim beliefs and rule, the Ottoman State began to dissolve surrounding Muslim states, which were absorbed into the future empire. This move thereby ended all the other Turkish dynasties. The Ottoman Empire was marked as one of the largest, longest lasting empires. The Ottoman Empire lasted from the late 13th century to 1923. Throughout it’s time, the Ottoman Empire was remarked as highly successful and progressive. But like all empires, the Ottoman Empire had to make its end. The Ottoman Empire, like all dynasties, went through its rise, peak, and falling periods. This essay assesses each period in the Ottoman Empire's history.
Erdogan came to Ankara under heavy suspicion due to his past in radical Islamist politics. But as mayor of ungovernable Istanbul he won grudging praise from political opponents for his hard work on civic issues and muted Islamic rhetoric. As Prime Minister he has focused on bread-and-butter issues, leading with gusto the country’s drive to join the European Union.