Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was one of the most significant political leaders of the twentieth century –how should we understand Atatürk and his legacy?In this book, George Gawrych studies Atatürk’s career in detail, showing how Atatürk's military background and subsequent political ideology combined with wider social forces to set Turkey on a path of secular nationalism and modernization. Hislegacy can be seen everywhere in Turkey today, from the role and rights of women in society to the after effects of Kemalism on the Republic’s political landscape. Gawrych addresses the significant costs of Atatürk’s policies, including the suppression of minorities and the imposition of a cult of personality and authoritarian rule in the name of ‘Turkification’. The book presents a nuanced analysis of a complex figure who still casts a shadow over Turkey’s political and intellectual discourse.
