Historical Figure
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
1881–1938
Founder of Turkey (c. 1881–1938)
Talk to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI
Biography
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was a Turkish field marshal and statesperson who was the founder of the Republic of Turkey and served as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He led sweeping reforms, turning Turkey into a secular, industrializing nation. Ideologically a secularist, republican and nationalist, his policies and socio-political theories became known as Kemalism. Atatürk's personality cult and the Kemalist historiography developed around it have had significant and ongoing influences on Turkey's political culture and historical narrative.
In Their Own Words (5)
Men, I am not ordering you to attack. I am ordering you to die. In the time that it takes us to die, other forces and commanders can come and take our place.
Orders to the 57th Infantry Regiment during the Gallipoli campaign (25 April 1915); as quoted in Studies in Battle Command by Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College, p. 89; also quoted in Turkey (2007) by Verity Campbell, p. 188 , 2007
Humankind is made up of two sexes, women and men. Is it possible for humankind to grow by the improvement of only one part while the other part is ignored? Is it possible that if half of a mass is tied to earth with chains that the other half can soar into skies?
As quoted in "Atatürk" in Images of a Divided World (29 October 2006) , 2006
Victory belongs to those who can say 'Victory is mine'. Success belongs to those who can begin saying 'I will succeed' and say 'I have succeed' in the end.
Published in the Hakimiyet-i Milliye on 12 January 1925. , 1925
Armenians have no rights in this prosperous country. Your country is yours, it belongs to the Turks. This country was Turkish in history, therefore it is Turkish and will live as a Turk forever.
Published in the Hakimiyet-i Milliye on 21 March 1923. , 1923
You are the oldest democracy of the New World. We are the youngest democracy of the Old World. You, the great democracy of the New World, should take due note of your new sister democracy and should conceive its import. We are friends now, and we will be much closer friends in the future.
Address to the American Ambassador to Turkey in 1927. As quoted in: Under Secretary Eugene V. Rostow (April 4, 1968): The United States and Turkey, Partners in World Security. Address made before the American-Turkish Society Inc., at New York, N.Y. on April 4, 1968. Source: United States Department of State (April 20, 1968): The Department of State Bulletin, Volume 58, page 559. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. See also Google Books PDF-Page of aforementioned source, which was archived from the original on November 4, 2023. , 1927
Timeline
The story of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, told in moments.
Born Mustafa in Salonica, Ottoman Empire. His math teacher gives him the second name Kemal, meaning "perfection." His father, a lumber trader and military officer, dies when the boy is seven. His mother wants him to learn a trade. He sits for the military school exam without telling her.
Commands the 19th Division at Gallipoli. Correctly predicts where the Allies will land. Holds his position for months against British, Australian, and New Zealand forces. The campaign kills 250,000 on each side. It also makes him famous.
Lands at Samsun to organize resistance against the Allied partition of Turkey. The sultan's government in Constantinople has effectively surrendered. Ataturk hasn't. He builds a rival government in Ankara and fights the Greek, French, and Armenian armies simultaneously.
Proclaims the Republic of Turkey. He's its first president. Abolishes the sultanate, then the caliphate. Bans the fez. Replaces Arabic script with the Latin alphabet. Gives women the vote. Replaces Islamic law with a secular civil code modeled on Switzerland's. All within a decade.
Parliament grants him the surname Ataturk. It means "Father of the Turks." They make it illegal for anyone else to use it.
Dies at 57 in Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul. Cirrhosis. All clocks in the palace are stopped at 9:05 a.m. Every November 10 at 9:05, Turkey observes a moment of silence. Traffic stops. Ships sound their horns.
More from the Victorian Era
Explore what happened on the days that shaped Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.