Atatürk: Father of the Turks
I want to talk about Atatürk today. Atatürk, like many Turkish young people, has helped me a lot in establishing my thoughts throughout my life.
Atatürk was an officer of the Ottoman Empire, which was in its last days. He loved reading, writing and debating with his friends. This allowed him to broaden his world of ideas a lot.
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
What impressed me most about Atatürk was that he wanted to save his country in the midst of all the chaos that the Ottoman Empire was going through. Against all odds, he convinced the people and his comrades in arms to act as a united force to save their country. The Ottoman rulers of that time even issued a death warrant against him because he wanted to overthrow the caliphate and bring democracy to the people, Atatürk fought with a death warrant around his neck, with all his determination and perseverance, he became an incredible role model for his country, his soldiers followed him and went to war under his command without blinking an eye. On three different fronts, with six different countries, they saved their country despite all the impossibilities. This loyalty, courage and honour was a virtue that should be passed on and announced for generations.
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Atatürk did this not only to ensure the territorial integrity of his country, he wanted to bring his country to the level of contemporary civilizations. That’s why he reformed the alphabet, ordered the use of a more modern calendar and carried out great reforms at a pace unprecedented in the history of the world.
He cared about the rural people. He established “Village Institutes” to provide education to the farmers who remained in the villages. At that time, Atatürk realised the great importance of a country’s farmers. This was even more special for Turkey. Because Turkey was a country with very fertile lands. Here he taught farmers agriculture and science. He took an integrative approach and became a role model not only for his country but for the whole world with these efforts. He was always open and farsighted. He was a reformer ahead of his time. He valued science the most in his life, so much so that he ordered his people to choose science if it was in conflict with science. This made him one of the world’s most unforgettable leaders and a role model for many young Turks like me.
I would like to end my essay with the words of Elon Musk, who is one of the most progressive companies in the world, who is currently making incredibly disruptive innovations such as SpaceX and Tesla, and who attaches great importance to science, about Atatürk.
“Three broken ribs, a pierced lung and still he fought. For peace at home, peace in the world.”
-Çağan Güler
