Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, First of all, before I start writing about his life, I must say that the longing for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk will never disappear. He went down in history as our only leader ever. The struggle under his leadership not only gained Turkey's independence, but also pioneered social and cultural transformations. The longing that Atatürk left behind goes beyond just a political leader, but also a revolutionary and a visionary leader. The national liberation war under his leadership symbolizes the nation's resistance in unity and solidarity. This struggle has a unique place in collective memories. The reforms initiated with the proclamation of the Republic took place in a wide range of areas, from education to law, from language and culture to economy. Ataturk's vision includes the goal of raising Turkey to the level of contemporary civilizations. These ideals have been one of the basic elements that form the nation's longing even after Ataturk's death.
Even today, Ataturk's words, principles and revolutions are remembered with deep longing among the public. His teachings will continue to appeal to younger generations. Commemorating Mustafa Kemal Atatürk with longing is not only opening a page of history, but also an effort to keep the common values of the Nation alive and pass them on to future generations. He is not only a leader but also an aspiration that will live forever.
He was born in Thessaloniki in 1881. His father is Ali Rıza Efendi and his mother is Zübeyde Hanım. Ali Rıza Efendi was a native of Thessaloniki. Their distant ancestors left Vidin and settled in Serres, and from there they came to Thessaloniki. Ali Rıza Efendi worked as a customs officer in the early stages of his life, but later left the civil service and engaged in timber trade. Atatürk's mother, Zübeyde Hanım, belonged to an old Turkish family settled in the town called Langaza near Thessaloniki. This family was from nomads who had migrated from Anatolia to Rumelia and were known as 'Sons of Varyemez'. This family had large farms in Langaza; They were engaged in animal husbandry as well as agriculture. After Ali Rıza Efendi, who married Zübeyde Hanım in 1871, died in 1888 when he was only in his fifties, the task of raising and raising little Mustafa, who was orphaned at the age of seven or eight, fell to the great Turkish woman Zübeyde Hanım. Little Mustafa continued his primary education for a while at Hafız Mehmet Efendi's neighborhood school, following his mother's wishes; But soon, upon his father's request, he transferred to Şemsi Efendi School, which provides modern education in Thessaloniki, and finished primary school there. Şemsi Efendi was extremely pleased to have little Mustafa in his school, as he appreciated the talents and intelligence of his new student. While little Mustafa was studying at this school, his father died. At this time, he had two younger sisters, whose names were Makbule and Naciye. When their father died, little Mustafa was seven years old and Makbule had just turned one year old; Naciye was forty days old. This youngest of their siblings died in Thessaloniki when she was a young girl. After Ali Rıza Efendi's death...
Zübeyde Hanım and her three children settled next to her brother Hüseyin Efendi, who worked as a waterman at the Rapla farm near Thessaloniki for a while. Due to farm life, little Mustafa's education was inevitably disrupted for a while. But he soon returned to Thessaloniki and continued his education from where he left off, with his aunt. After Şemsi Efendi Primary School, Küçük Mustafa attended the Thessaloniki Civil Junior High School for a while, but he left this school after his Arabic teacher named Kaymak Hafız unfairly hit him with a stick, and in 1893, by his own decision, he applied to the Military Middle School and continued his education there. did. In the summers, he would go to his uncle Hüseyin Efendi and stay on the farm until school time. Mustafa had really liked this school. He quickly distinguished himself among his friends with his intelligence and superior abilities and won the love of his teachers; his teachers almost felt the need to treat him as a friend. Mustafa Efendi, who taught mathematics at this school, added the name "Kemal" to the end of his student's name to indicate the difference between his young student's talents and intelligence and the other Mustafas in the class. Now the young student became Mustafa Kemal.
After graduating from the Thessaloniki Military Junior High School, Mustafa Kemal entered the Monastir Military Preparatory School in 1896. Here he made friends with Ömer Naci. This person, who would later be known as a famous orator, played an active role in Mustafa Kemal's love of oratory and literature. Ali Fethi (Okyar), who would become one of his close friends, was also a student at this school. Young Mustafa Kemal does not neglect learning foreign languages in addition to his military education; When he returned to Thessaloniki on leave during the summers, he was taking French lessons. Young Mustafa Kemal successfully completed the Monastir Military Preparatory School and entered the Military Academy in Istanbul on March 13, 1899. After 3 years of successful military education, he graduated from this school on February 10, 1902, with the rank of Lieutenant and continued his education at the War Academy. He became First Lieutenant in 1903. He graduated from the War Academy on January 11, 1905, with the rank of Staff Captain. At the Military Academy and the Military Academy, he introduced himself to his friends and instructors with his intelligence, talents and superior personality, and gained their sincere love and respect. In addition to his great interest in military lessons, he also had a curiosity and tendency towards mathematics, literature and eloquence. He was known as an intellectual and revolutionary officer in the Military Academy and the Military Academy because he was interested in the causes of the country and the nation and did not hesitate to express his thoughts courageously. The period was a despotic administration and these actions could have been against him; However, the fact that he was truly loved by those around him and that he was sincere in his thoughts prevented him from falling victim to any scheme. However, in the days following his graduation from the Military Academy, his thoughts and situation against the despotism and sultanate regime attracted suspicion and he was detained in Istanbul for several months; Then, he was appointed to the Syrian region, Damascus, on February 5, 1905, as a kind of exile.
During the three years he was under the command of the 5th Army in Damascus, he traveled almost everywhere in Syria on duty and saw more closely the flaws in the administration of the country and the deficiencies in the education and training of the army. Mustafa Kemal secretly founded the "Homeland and Freedom Society" here in October 1906 with some of his trusted friends. Together with these friends, he expanded the society they established in Beirut, Jaffa and Jerusalem. At one point, he secretly went to Thessaloniki via Egypt and Greece, where he opened a branch of the "Homeland and Freedom Society" and returned to Damascus. Although his departure from Damascus was heard by the government, no punishment was taken because his superiors protected him. He stayed in Damascus for a while longer. Around this time, he became Kolağası (senior captain) on June 20, 1907, and was appointed to a position at the Chief of Staff of the Army in Damascus. Mustafa Kemal was appointed to the 3rd Army Headquarters, headquartered in Bitola, on 13 October 1907. He came to Thessaloniki to work in the branch of this Headquarters in Thessaloniki. At this time, the "Community of Union and Progress", which included members of the "Homeland and Freedom Society" in Thessaloniki, was active. Following his arrival in Thessaloniki, Mustafa Kemal joined this society and began to serve. Saving the country from tyranny and innovations were his main thoughts. Shortly after his arrival in Thessaloniki, on June 22, 1908, he was given the position of railway inspector between Skopje and Thessaloniki, in addition to his duty at the 3rd Army Headquarters. Meanwhile, the "Committee of Union and Progress", which was very active in Rumelia, forces Abdulhamid to re-enact the 1876 Constitution and call the closed Parliament to a meeting again. “These initiatives of the Committee of Union and Progress, step by step, began in World War II. He reached out to the declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy. When the Second Constitutional Monarchy was declared on July 23, 1908, Mustafa Kemal continued his military duty in Thessaloniki with the rank of Kolağası, while at the same time working in the "Community of Union and Progress" and closely following the political developments in Istanbul. He, II. He does not see what was done following a great revolution such as the Constitutional Monarchy as sufficient; He believed that larger and more radical changes should be made in the country by taking advantage of this opportunity. However, his views did not comply with the views and thoughts of the leading figures of the Committee of Union and Progress. Despite this, he did not hesitate to warn the influential people of the time with his ideas.
II. Less than a year had passed since the declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy, when a major rebellion broke out in Istanbul on April 13, 1909, supported by reactionary circles, against this movement. Mustafa Kemal was appointed Chief of Staff of the Action Army, which was formed in Rumelia to suppress this rebellion, known as the March 31 Incident, and came to Istanbul with this army on April 19, 1909. He served important services as Chief of Staff in the command and management of the Operation Army both on the road and in Istanbul. He wrote the declaration addressed to the public on the day the Movement Army entered Istanbul. After the Movement Army took control of the situation, Abdulhamit was dethroned and Sultan Reşat was appointed. After the suppression of this reactionary incident, Mustafa Kemal did not stay long in Istanbul and returned to Thessaloniki on May 16, 1909. During these times, he courageously defended his thoughts and views in the maneuvers and exercises held in Thessaloniki and its surroundings; While this attracted the attention of some superiors, it also caused intolerance from others. At the same time, he was preparing copyrighted and translated works on military training subjects. He, II. Following the Constitutional Monarchy, he began to sense the dangers of the Army's close relationship with the "Committee of Union and Progress" and its involvement in politics, and he openly expressed these views at the "Grand Congress of Union and Progress" held in Thessaloniki on 22 September 1909. But the leaders of the Society did not share his views. Mustafa Kemal kept himself away from the Society and gave himself directly to his military duty. This is how the disagreement and falling out with the "Committee of Union and Progress" began.
Important events were taking place in the Gallipoli Peninsula. Although the British navy attempted to cross the Dardanelles on March 18, 1915, it was unsuccessful and suffered heavy losses due to the successful defense of the coastal artillery. The enemy, who could not pass the Bosphorus with his fleet, decided to force the landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula this time. While events were developing in this way, the General Staff decided to establish the 5th Army in Gallipoli on March 23, 1915, and appointed German General Liman von Sanders as its commander.
Liman von Sanders made his plan by dividing his forces into three groups against a possible enemy attack; He took the forces led by Mustafa Kemal into army reserve. In accordance with this plan, Mustafa Kemal went to Bigalı with his division on 18 April 1915. Enemy troops started their first landing movement from Seddülbahir and Arıburnu regions on April 25, 1915. However, the landing movement found Mustafa Kemal against him on the first day. As soon as Mustafa Kemal saw that the landing had begun, he quickly dispatched his forces from Bigalı to Conkbayırı. British forces advancing from Arıburnu to Chunuk Bair were forced to retreat that day with the attack of the 19th Division forces commanded by Mustafa Kemal.
In the Chunuk Bair attack, Turkish soldiers fought with unprecedented faith and courage, and the greatest heroic scenes in history were displayed. The genius commander added the following sentences to the order he gave to the commanders: “I am not ordering you to attack; I order to die! “Other forces and commanders may replace us in the time it takes until we die!” Although the landing, which started on April 25, 1915, was pushed to the shore by our forces, the enemy continued the landing operation on April 26 and 27, 1915. There were occasionally violent clashes with the British who wanted to advance; However, every attack failed against the heroic defense of the Turkish soldiers. Mustafa Kemal was promoted to Colonel on June 1, 1915, following his outstanding successes on the Çanakkale Front. Although the enemy could not achieve success or progress in Çanakkale, they were determined to make a new landing. In order for the planned landing to take place, first of all, the Turkish forces in Arıburnu and Seddülbahir, which constituted the first lines of resistance, had to be removed from their places. For this purpose, the British tried a new attack with reinforced forces on 6 and 7 August 1915; There were fierce battles between enemy forces and our forces. However, thanks to the measures taken by Mustafa Kemal, this attack of the enemy did not have the opportunity to develop. While the attack in Arıburnu and Seddülbahir continued, the British began to advance by landing troops on the southern shores of Çanakkale on the evening of August 6, 1919. In this way, Anafartalar Region suddenly became critical. Following this developing crisis, a change of command was made upon the order of Liman von Sanders, and Colonel Mustafa Kemal was appointed to the Anafartalar Group Command on 8 August 1915. was added. Mustata Kemal, who took command on August 9, 1915, immediately pushed the advancing British forces back to the shores where they landed with an attack on the same day. On the evening of the same day, he moved to the Chunuk Bair region and attacked the forces there on the morning of 10 August 1915. Thus, the enemy was not allowed to advance; On the contrary, it was completely removed from its positions and the Anafartalar region was completely dominated.
Mustata Kemal was personally on the line of fire in the attacks of 9 and 10 August, as in the attack of 25 April 1915, and gave orders from the line of fire, and this behavior became a source of indescribable courage for the officers and men next to him. He escaped certain death in Chunuk Bair because a bullet aimed at his heart hit the watch in his pocket and bounced back. The heroism, determination and high command power he showed during these battles earned him great fame both in the country and abroad. He was now known as the "Hero of Anafartalar". The British could not make any progress after months of landings and wars; Finally, they withdrew from Çanakkale with their allies at the end of December 1915. The enemies' failure to cross the Dardanelles prevented the occupation of Istanbul; He had extinguished the British's dreams of establishing a connection with their ally Russia via the Marmara and Black Sea. All these events, in a sense, affected the course of World War I and changed the direction of world history. In these wars, the British undoubtedly outnumbered the Turks in terms of people, vehicles and equipment; However, what they forgot was the historical heroism of the Turkish soldier and the factor of Mustafa Kemal that guided this heroism. Mustafa Kemal was of the opinion that in the last months of 1915, when the Gallipoli Battles lost their former intensity, he would completely defeat the enemy by removing the enemy from the shores where he was holding on, with a final attack. However, this proposal was not accepted by Army Commander Liman von Sanders, out of concern that the enemy's artillery fire from the shore could cause heavy casualties. There was nothing left to do on this front. On 10 December 1915, Mustafa Kemal left Çanakkale on leave, leaving the "Anafartalar Group Command" to Fevzi (Çakmak) Pasha; He returned to Istanbul.
Mustafa Kemal was appointed as the Commander of the Sixteenth Corps, whose headquarters was in Edirne, on January 27, 1916. Shortly after, upon the decision to establish this Corps in Diyarbakır with the same name, he was appointed to the Diyarbakır-Bitlis-Muş Front on 11 March 1916 as the Corps Commander. Mustafa Kemal came to Diyarbakır on 26 March 1916 and took command. He was promoted to General on 1 April 1916. After a short preparation following his arrival in Diyarbakır, he attacked the forces under his command in the direction of Bitlis and Muş on the morning of August 3, 1916; There were violent clashes in the form of attacks and counter-attacks between our two divisions and the Russians. Finally, on the morning of August 8, 1916, Muş was liberated from enemy occupation by our forces in the evening of the same day. Mus; Unfortunately, it fell into Russian hands again on August 25, 1916. Mustafa Kemal Pasha saved Muş from Russian occupation for the second time on May 14, 1917, while he was the Commander of the 2nd Army. Mustafa Kemal Pasha was appointed as the 2nd Army Commander by proxy after Ahmet İzzet Pasha went to Istanbul for a while on leave in December 1916. The Chief of Staff of this army, whose headquarters was in Diyarbakır, was Colonel İsmet (İnönü) Bey. It was during these dates that the Great Commander met İnönü closely and worked within the chain of command. Mustafa Kemal Pasha went to Damascus and inspected the Sinai Front after being appointed as the Commander of the Hejaz Expeditionary Force on 14 February 1917. However, on 5 March 1917, he was appointed acting commander of the 2nd Army in Diyarbakır. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who returned to Diyarbakır, was appointed as the 2nd Army Commander on 16 March 1917. However, he did not stay in this position for long and was appointed as the head of the 7th Army, which was decided to be established in Aleppo under the Yıldırım Army Group Command, on 5 July 1917. General management of this front was given to a German general named Falkenhein. Mustafa Kemal Pasha came to Aleppo on 15 August 1917 and started his duty.
Finally, on October 30, 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed the Armistice of Mudros with the Allied Powers. Withdrew from World War II. Although Mustafa Kemal Pasha was appointed Commander of the Yıldırım Army Group on 31 October 1918, the day after the Armistice of Mudros was signed, there was nothing left to do. After this Group Command was abolished by the will of the Sultan on 7 November 1918, he departed from Adana and came to Istanbul on 13 November 1918. Turkey was now experiencing the armistice conditions and he was an Army Commander assigned to the Ministry of War. The conditions of the country and the nation were harsh. At the end of a great war, as a defeated state, a harsh agreement called "Mudros Armistice" was signed on October 30, 1918. Based on the terms of this agreement, many regions of the country were occupied by the victorious states, our army was disbanded, and all weapons and ammunition were placed at the disposal of the victorious states. Just as the Ottoman countries were completely disintegrated, the homeland of the Turks, Anatolia, was also being divided among the victorious states. Italians landed in Antalya. İskenderun, Adana, Mersin, Antep, Maraş and Urfa were under occupation. The British took over the administration in Kars. Thrace was under occupation. The enemy fleet was anchored in Istanbul waters. The Dardanelles and Istanbul Straits were captured. Istanbul and the Istanbul Government were under the pressure and control of the Allied Powers. The sultan and the government were tools of the enemies, helpless and confused, and were only looking for safety and salvation for themselves. Foreign officers were wandering around every city in Anatolia and giving directives as representatives of the Allied Powers. The Greeks were also busy with preparations for the occupation of Izmir; They were making great efforts in this direction, trying to persuade the Allied Powers. They finally achieved their goal on May 15, 1919. In the face of this forced course that led the nation to modern civilization, a group that constituted the opposition, but whose branch was based on conservatism and reactionism, became uneasy. This group, which also found representatives in the political field, made several assassination attempts on Atatürk because they held him responsible for this whole situation, but they were not successful and were condemned by the nation.
After achieving most of the reforms, Mustafa Kemal wrote his great Speech describing the Turkish struggle for independence and the establishment of the new Turkey. He read this at the Party Congress in 1927, with a fascinating oratory that lasted for six days. This work, full of valuable analysis and criticism, has become one of the immortal works of Turkish literature as well as Turkish history. After the liberation, the Great Leader traveled throughout the country and explained the ideology of the revolutions and the new Turkish State to the people. In 1934, the Parliament gave him the surname "ATATURK" with a special law. In his last years, he tried to annex Hatay to the motherland with endless excitement. His existing liver failure worsened over time; He spent his last days ill and unwell. He passed away in Dolmabahçe Palace at five past nine on Thursday, November 10, 1938. His death had deep repercussions and created great sadness all over the world.
Atatürk's body was embalmed and placed on a special catafalque in the hall of Dolmabahçe Palace. The sacred coffin, wrapped in the Turkish flag and guarded by his fellow soldiers, was left to the public for three days. His body was subsequently brought to Ankara on 20 November. He was placed in his temporary grave in the Ethnography Museum with a grand ceremony on November 21. All states of the world sent special representatives to the funeral ceremony. Foreign generals who fought against him in Çanakkale and other battles attracted particular attention at the ceremony. On November 10, 1953, his body was taken from the Ethnography Museum and transferred to Anıtkabir with a magnificent ceremony. ATATURK'S SUPERIOR PERSONALITY Atatürk is a unique leader who ensured national unity in the War of Independence, a legendary commander on the battlefields, a great politician who founded a state, and a powerful reformer who changed the face of the nation. With these qualities, there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest men known to human history. World historians and intellectuals unite without hesitation when he carries heroic and high humane qualities at the highest level. When compared with the great figures of history, their obvious advantages in various respects stand out. First of all, his superiority over all these geniuses is that he is a man of both ideas and action. He was a leader who combined idea and movement in his personality. Kemalism, which constitutes the essence of his ideas and thoughts, is a rational world view stripped of all dogmatic elements. This realistic view, originating from the realities of the country and accepting the guidance of reason and science in the face of problems, constitutes the basis of both the Turkish War of Independence and the Turkish modernization movement that followed it.
Ataturk had a sincere and great respect for human values. He gathered in his superior personality the virtues that all humanity has praised and boasted about for centuries. His actions throughout his life demonstrated these virtues. Namely: -On the day he entered Izmir as the victorious Commander-in-Chief, he saw the enemy flag spread out in front of him and said, “The flag is a sign of independence of a nation; It is necessary to show respect even if it is your enemy!” saying, lifting him up from the ground, -When the great artists, poets and theater artists of the country wanted to kiss his hand in the face of the magnificence of his great work that brought freedom and independence to a nation, they said, "An artist does not kiss hands; The artist's hand is kissed!” answering, -To the famous French General Gouraud, who lost one of his arms while fighting against him in Çanakkale, when they met in Ankara years later -The general's empty arm. pointing out: "Your honorable arm lying on Turkish soil is an extremely valuable bond between our countries!" - To a Minister who went to give a speech at the Çanakkale martyrs' ceremony, he said about the soldiers of other nations who died in the war: "Heroes who shed their blood on the lands of this country! You are here in the land of a friendly homeland. Rest in peace!” who wrote a note saying...
– One morning, he showed the Egyptian ambassador the sun rising from the Çankaya ridge and said: “Look at the sun that will now rise from the east! Just as I see the day dawning now, I also see from a distance the awakening of all the eastern nations. There are many more brotherly nations that will gain independence and freedom. Despite all the difficulties and obstacles, these nations will overcome the obstacles and reach the future that awaits them. Colonialism and imperialism will disappear from the face of the earth and will be replaced by a new era of harmony and cooperation between nations that does not discriminate against color, religion or race!” Great Ataturk, who said, was truly an example of human love and the ideal of humanity that cannot be easily achieved. These actions were perhaps unique in human history and symbolized His greatness, His breadth, and His vast tolerance.
For Atatürk, working for "peace at home, peace in the world" was a part of his efforts to bring all the people living in our world closer to each other and to love them more. He said, “Above all, a person should work for the existence and happiness of the nation to which he belongs; But he was expressing this effort when he said, "We should also think about the peace and welfare of other nations." According to Ataturk, "Working for the happiness of the nations of the world meant trying to ensure their own peace and happiness in another way." Because, "if there was no peace and good living in the world and among the nations of the world, a nation would be deprived of peace no matter what it did for itself." The roots of Ataturk's principle of "Peace at home, peace in the world" stemmed from such a humane thought, such a humane ideal.
According to Ataturk, “The duty of those who govern the nations was to guide their nations in making life happy. Men who saw the existence of all humanity in their own persons were unhappy. Happiness in life was only possible by working for the honor, existence and peace of future generations. When a statesman acted like this, Natta said, "He should not have even thought about whether those who will come after me will notice that I work with such a spirit." He said that raising men who could serve the happiness of humanity without expecting anything in return was the greatest pleasure and said: “Does a person who grows flowers in his garden expect anything from these flowers? The person who raises men should also act with the same feelings as those who grow flowers. "Only men who think and work in this way can be beneficial to their country, their nation and their future."
According to Atatürk, kinship awareness should replace hostilities between nations. Racist and chauvinistic approaches among continents and nations had to be replaced by some common values shared by all humanity. “The only means that would make people happy was movement and energy that would bring them closer together and make them love each other and meet their mutual material and spiritual needs. The true happiness of humanity in world peace would only be possible with the increase and success of these high ideal pilgrims. World citizens should be educated to move away from jealousy, greed and hatred, and the welfare of all humanity should replace hunger and oppression.” Ataturk's sincere wish was for all nations to unite at the level of contemporary civilization and be included in this common civilization. Because he believed that all of humanity was one. body and considered every nation as an organ of it
According to Atatürk, an era of harmony and cooperation that no longer recognizes any discrimination of color, religion or race should begin among people, and nations should unite in the common values of humanity, without losing their independence, national characteristics and national culture, outside of all imperialist views. These common values were supposed to connect the continents and bring people closer together, regardless of color, race and religion. Because the rise of humanity and the realization of the ideal of humanity depended on keeping this consciousness alive. Atatürk, with his views and thoughts, represents a greatness that cannot be surpassed in the history of humanity.
As a final word, we can say that when Atatürk's life, personality and work are examined, human beings cannot hide their admiration; We celebrate this national hero and bow with respect to this sacred struggle.
We remember him with love and respect.
