He suggested the historically preposterous but politically efficacious Sun- Language Theory, which asserted that Turkish was the "mother of all languages," and therefore all foreign words were originally Turkish. Within the Ottoman Empire, the Turks were merely one of many linguistic and ethnic groups, and the word Turk in fact connoted crudeness and boorishness. Although purist and zealot opinion favored the banishment of all words of non-Turkish origin, it became obvious to many that some of the suggested reforms verged on the ridiculous. The withdrawal of Turkey, heir to the Ottoman Empire, as the presumptive leader of the world Muslim community was symbolic of the change in Turkey's relation to Islam. He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized Turkey into a secular, industrial nation. Atatürk's Six Arrows were an integral part of the RPP's political platform. He set up state-owned factories and rail networks, passed laws regarding gender equality and women’s suffrage and introduced a program of Westernization that saw Turkey adopt the Gregorian calendar and the Latin alphabet. As head of state, Ataturk took a tight hold of Turkey’s government and instituted a series of sweeping reforms that sought to establish a more secular, modern and European-style society. These were his own words. Non-Turkish words were seen as symbols of the past, and there was great nationalist enthusiasm, supported by government policies, to get rid of them. Mustafa Kemal Atartuk embarked on a regime of radical reforms once he had the reins of the country in his hands. He also closed religious schools and courts, ended a ban on alcohol and forbid women workers from wearing headscarves. The President of the republic was elected for a four-year term by the assembly, and he in turn appointed the prime minister, who was expected to enjoy the confidence of the Assembly. Secularism or laicism (Laiklik in Turkish) was one of the "Six Arrows" of Atatürk's blueprint for modern Turkey; these founding principles of the republic, usually referred to as Atatürkism or Kemalism, were the basis for many of the early republican reforms. Meanwhile, the Turkish army swiftly extinguished the revolt. As Islam had formed the identity of the Ottoman Empire and its subjects, so secularism molded the new Turkish nation and its citizens. In spite of the fact that coinages lack some of the rich connotations of the older lexicon, modern Turkish prose and poetry came into their own in Kemalist (1923-38) and, especially, post-Kemalist (since 1938) Turkey, as writers and poets created powerful works in this new idiom. Reforms of Ataturk. As a result of the inquiry, some of his former close associates were sent into exile. The loss of old words and their rich connotations has resulted in some aesthetic impoverishment of the language. It was important at the time for the Republic of Turkey to be modernized in order to progress towards the level of contemporary civilizations and to be an active member of … Ataturk’s Reforms: His Philosophy and Ideals. By controlling the RPP, Atatürk also controlled the Assembly and assured support there for the government he had appointed. The new alphabet represents the Turkish vowels and consonants more clearly than does the old alphabet. The Turkish Language Society (Türk Dil Kurumu), founded in 1932, supervised the collection and dissemination of Turkish folk vocabulary and folk phrases to be used in place of foreign words. Phonological, grammatical, and etymological principles are quite different among them. Ideologically a secularist and nationalist, his policiesa… Home >> Turkish People >> Ataturk >> Reforms of Ataturk. Special courts with summary powers were established, and the Progressive Republican Party was outlawed. Nevertheless, opposition existed. Although sometimes characterized as an expression of Kurdish nationalism, the revolt was led by a hereditary chief of the Naksibendi dervishes, who had been disbanded as part of Atatürk's secularist reforms. Each decade since Atatürk's death has been characterized by its own particular stance or stances vis-à-vis language reform or support for either a more traditional lexicon or a modern, "Turkified" one abounding in Western loans or indigenous coinages. Turks were encouraged to wear European-style clothing. Not surprisingly, language reform and modern usage were pushed forward during periods of liberal governments and de-emphasized under conservative governments (such as those of the 1980s). Thus with the civil code passed, Turkish women would now have the same rights as men, could be appointed to official posts, would have the right to vote and to be elected to Parliament. Atatürk introduced reforms which he considered of vital importance for the salvation and survival of his people between 1924-1938. With chalk and a portable blackboard, he traveled throughout the country, giving writing lessons in schools, village squares, and other public places to a people whose illiteracy was suddenly 100 percent. Kemal Atatürk (or alternatively written as Kamâl Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1934, commonly referred to as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; c. 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal, revolutionary statesman, author, and the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. It was important at the time for the Republic of Turkey to be modernized in order to progress towards the level of contemporary civilizations and to be an active member of the culturally developed communities. Following the reform of the script, which was meant to be a kind of nationalism in the cultural field, Atatürk concentrated his attention on history. ^ S. N. Eisenstadt, "The Kemalist Regime and Modernization: Some Comparative and Analytical Remarks," in J. Landau, ed., Atatürk and the Modernization of Turkey, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1984, 3–16. The nationalist regime made attempts to give religion a more modern and more national form. © 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Atatürk personally promoted ballroom dancing at official functions. He modernized the country’s legal and educational systems and encouraged the adoption of a European way of life, with a Latin alphabet and … The wearing of the fez, which had been introduced a century earlier as a modernizing reform to replace the turban, was outlawed because it had become for the nationalists a symbol of the reactionary Ottoman regime. Copyrights © 1990–2020 All Rights Reserved by Burak Sansal, 1926 New civil, commercial, and penal codes based on European models adopted. Persian was the language of art, refined literature, and diplomacy. Atatürk was a military genius, a charismatic leader, also a comprehensive reformer in his life. As President for 15 years, until his death in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced a broad range of swift and sweeping reforms - in the political, social, legal, economic, and cultural spheres - virtually unparalleled in any other country.