Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was one of the most significant political leaders of the twentieth century -how should we understand Ataturk and his legacy?

In this book, George Gawrych studies Ataturk's career in detail, showing how Ataturk'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 Ataturk'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.

Review: This book is not just a biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk but also a history of the early Turkish Republic and the Kemalist reforms. George Gawrych has managed to skilfully synthesize extensive original research and scholarly debates to produce a well-rounded and highly readable work. Richly complemented by images and maps, the book will be appreciated by scholars familiar with Turkish history, as well as students wishing to learn more about Ataturk and the formative years of the Turkish Republic. * Milena Methodieva, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Canada *
This analytical profile of Turkey's Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, one of the world's preeminent statesmen in the twentieth century, combines the Turkish leader's life story with thematic chapters replete with insights into the man and his time. Informed by original primary sources and up-to-date scholarship and written in lucid prose, the book is both erudite and accessible to the general reader. * Hasan Kayali, Professor, University of California, USA *
Professor Gawrych proposes a new line of inquiry and analysis. Instead of writing a conventional biography, he carefully examines the development of Ataturk as a leader. As he rightly emphasizes, this is imperative to understanding and constructing Ataturk as both a soldier and a statesman a major contribution to our knowledge of late Ottoman and early modern Turkish political and intellectual history Ataturk tells us a riveting story, drawn from a staggering wealth of sources through painstaking contextualization and original analysis. * M. Sukru Hanioglu, Garrett Professor in Foreign Affairs and Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University, USA *