His father, Ali Riza, had been a lieutenant in a local militia unit during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, indicating that his origins were within the Ottoman ruling class, if only marginally. (For a more complete discussion of this period in Turkish history, see Turkey, history of: The emergence of the modern Turkish state.) Early life and educationĪtatürk was born in 1881 in Salonika, then a thriving port of the Ottoman Empire, and was given the name Mustafa. Over the next two decades, Atatürk created a modern state that would grow under his successors into a viable democracy. He succeeded in restoring to his people pride in their Turkishness, coupled with a new sense of accomplishment as their nation was brought into the modern world. Through these struggles, he founded the modern Republic of Turkey, for which he is still revered by the Turks. He galvanized his people against invading Greek forces who sought to impose the Allied will upon the war-weary Turks and repulsed aggression by British, French, and Italian troops. One of the great figures of the 20th century, Atatürk rescued the surviving Turkish remnant of the defeated Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. He modernized the country’s legal and educational systems and encouraged the adoption of a European way of life, with Turkish written in the Latin alphabet and with citizens adopting European-style names. Kemal Atatürk, (Turkish: “Kemal, Father of Turks”) original name Mustafa Kemal, also called Mustafa Kemal Paşa, (born 1881, Salonika, Greece-died November 10, 1938, Istanbul, Turkey), soldier, statesman, and reformer who was the founder and first president (1923–38) of the Republic of Turkey. Its principles are republicanism, nationalism, populism, statism (state-controlled economic development), secularism, and revolution (continual change in state and society), which were enshrined in the Turkish constitution in 1937. Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Īside from being the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Atatürk laid the groundwork for Turkey’s state ideology, known as Kemalism.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.