Sadly, I will not be coming back today from the Lincoln Library. The flu is my nemesis of 2024. I plan to travel there next week to explore documents related to Ulysses Grant's military career. The library possesses Oglesby's Papers, which I am anxious to read. I am excited about the various articles and diaries about Grant's battles to read what the soldiers witnessed and possibly their thoughts on Grant. It is likely why I put a pause in my writing. I am waiting to collect this research to add to this book.
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the second part of my series on Turkiye would cover Ataturk. His full name was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He holds almost a god-like status in Turkiye. It is so powerful that it is a crime to criticize him or deface any of his statues (there has to be a statue of him in every town in Turkiye). On the anniversary of his death every year, the country pauses for one minute to remember him. Mustafa Kemal was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. Back then, it was a part of the Ottoman Empire. His father was not religious, while his mother was a devout Muslim. Mustafa Kemal did well in school but often questioned the teacher's thinking. He later attended military school and became an officer with the enemy's in the Young Turk organization. Ataturk fought in the First and Second Balkan Wars. He later served in Libya. However, his rise to fame began at the Battle of Gallipoli, where Ataturk performed admirably in the wake of multiple Ottoman setbacks the year prior. After this, he fought the Russians in eastern Turkiye and attempted to halt the British advance from the south.
Turkiye's defeat meant it would be carved up among European powers. Ataturk led an independence movement against the French, British, Greek, and Armenian forces. He miraculously won the war and established the Republic of Turkiye in 1923. Ataturk became president of this Republic until his death. He experimented with democracy, but when it seemed like he could lose, he shut down the opposing political party. Ataturk established a new writing system. He gave women the right to participate in politics. He did much to help the economy of Turkiye, and he saved Jewish scientists from the Nazi regime before World War II.
An old professor once said, "He did great but terrible things." In 1915, the Ottoman Empire took part in the Armenian Genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died from mass killings under the leadership of Enver Pasha. Mustafa Kemal had no active role in this genocide, which is why he was the best option for the country. He could wipe his hands clean of it. During the war for independence, Ataturk acquired imprisoned perpetrators of the genocide because Ataturk believed they would not receive a fair trial. During the war, he used men to help eliminate the remaining Armenians and then executed those perpetrators after Ataturk gained independence. Then, ongoing massacres took place between both Greece and Turkiye. Later, there was an unnecessary population exchange between the two countries, as Ataturk believed that Turkey should be only a Turk. He later confiscated the property of many Armenians and Greeks, aiding in their improved economy. Finally, toward the end of his life, Ataturk dealt with a series of rebellions from the Kurds in southeastern Turkiye. He ordered the bombing of many towns, killing many civilians in the process. Multiple massacres took place, one in which his own adopted daughter took part.
It is difficult to say my interpretation of him today. I view him as the "Godfather" of Turkiye. If you did not have a part in the future of the Republic, he eliminated you. Unsurprisingly, Liberals, Fascists, Communists, Socialists, and Conservatives admire him alike. Yet, I wonder if this blind admiration comes from a lack of sources in Turkiye. It is illegal to say that there was ever a genocide. It has gotten some people killed. Ataturk possesses one of the most conflicting legacies of the 20th century.
Hitler once said, "Who remembers the Armenians?"
Question of the Week: What is everyone’s favorite historical museum?
Comments