MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK (TURKEY)

Day 3,080, 00:10 • Published in Canada Turkey • by Last eRepublik bender
Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) was the first President of Turkey until his death in 1938. He is known for being a leader of Turkey who freed the country from being controlled by other countries, and later for starting changes that made Turkey more modern and similar to Western civilization, mainly Europe and the United States.

Mustafa Kemal was born in 1881. His birth place was in Salonika, Greece (now Thessaloniki). Salonika was part of the Ottoman Empire at that time. He took the name "Kemal" as a schoolboy and Atatürk (which means Father of All Turks) later. His father's name was Ali Rıza Efendi. His mother's name was Zübeyde Hanım. He also had a sister whose name was Makbule (Atadan). He became an army officer and the most successful general officer of the empire in World War I, fighting in Gallipoli.

When the Ottoman Empire was ended after the war, Atatürk organized a Nationalist movement that created the new, secular, Republic of Turkey. This meant that the country's government was no longer led by the religious leaders. Visitors to Turkey are often surprised by the importance given to Atatürk in present-day Turkey.



Few countries have such a person in their history. He was a successful military commander, and later established a democratic constitution and put in place changes that set Turkey on the road to becoming a new and developing nation. He inspired many later leaders, like Gamal Abdel Nasser and Mohammad Ali Jinnah.





ATATÜRK'S FAMOUS WORDS

As they have come, so they will go.

Happy is the one who says, "I'm a Turk"

Peace at home, peace in the world.

Our true mentor in life is science

Teachers are the one and only people who save nations.