Much more than a commander... The greatest legacy is Kemalism

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Commander-in-Chief of the War of Independence and founder of the Republic of Türkiye, was bid farewell to eternity 88 years ago today. Atatürk was a thinker as well as a soldier and politician. The great leader, who began to think about the ideological dimension of the struggle at a very young age, described himself with the following words to his friend Madam Corinne, with whom he continued to correspond even while he was at the front:

"I have passions, very big ones. These passions have nothing to do with the satisfaction of material ambitions, such as occupying high places or making big money. I seek the realization of these passions in the success of a great idea that will be of great benefit to my country and give me the peace of mind of a successfully fulfilled mission. This has been the principle of my whole life. I had it at a very young age and I will protect it until my last breath."

AN ORIGINAL SEARCH

Atatürk, who carefully examined the existing ideologies, was thinking of a unique model for Türkiye and the oppressed nations. Because, as the Commander-in-Chief of a nation that defeated imperialism on the field in history, he also saw that the path to permanent success against imperialism was possible with an anti-imperialist attitude and system of thought. He thought that Turkey had its own conditions and problems and that these problems could be overcome with original solutions. A "big idea" in his letter to Corinne was Kemalism. The Republic of Türkiye was founded on this philosophy. The principle was complete independence. Because every option without full independence meant becoming a colony of imperialism sooner or later. The four principles defined as republicanism, populism, secularism and nationalism in 1927 were completed as "Six arrows" with the addition of statism and revolutionism in 1931.

'KEMALIST Türkiye'

The opening speeches of the Parliament were not only the opening routine of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, but also a reflection of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's ideological attitude. It was in line with the same goal that the name of the magazine to be published to explain the Kemalist revolution to the Western world was La Turquie Kemaliste / Kemalist Türkiye.

Republicanism, which centers on national sovereignty, populism, which prioritizes an unprivileged society and equality, secularism, which guarantees that all citizens can live freely, nationalism based on the bond of citizenship that is not based on race and ethnicity, statism, which controls the private sector and does not oppress workers, and the principle of revolutionism, which is the insurance of the continuity of the revolution...

‘TWO MUSTAFA KEMAL…’

The great leader, who said to the Turkish nation, "There are two Mustafa Kemals," said, "One is me, flesh and blood, temporary Mustafa Kemal," and expressed the Second Mustafa Kemal with the following words: "I cannot express him with the word 'I'; it is not me, it is us! It is an intellectual and warrior community striving for new ideas, new life and great ideals in every corner of the country. I represent their dream. My attempts are to satisfy what they long for." "That Mustafa Kemal is you, all of you. He is the Mustafa Kemal who is not temporary, who must live and be successful."

'THOSE WHO WANT TO MAKE ME FORGET...'

Ataturk, who also predicted that there might be people both in his own time and in the future who would not be able to internalize the revolution and resist it, said the following about this issue a year before his death: "There may come a time when efforts may appear to forget me or make people forget me. There may be those who deny their ideas and criticize me. These may even be among those I know closely and believe in. However, the seeds we sow are so concise and strong that these ideas will come back from India and Egypt, and their fruitful results will come." fills hearts.”

The Republic is 103 years old, it has been 88 years since the great leader left us. While many ideas and leaders disappear from the stage of history, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk continues to guide not only the Turkish nation, but all oppressed nations, and disturb imperialism with his ideas.