Facts for Kids

Kemal was not his first name at birth. He was born as Mustafa, and a teacher later gave him the second name Kemal, which means “perfection” or “maturity.” The teacher wanted a name that showed his skill and seriousness, and the new name helped people notice him among other students who were also named Mustafa.

In 1934 the government gave him the surname Atatürk, which means “Father of the Turks.” For a short time in the 1930s he also used an older Turkish spelling, Kamâl, because the country was changing its language and wanted names to sound more Turkish.

Salonica (now called Thessaloniki) is where he was likely born around 1881. His father, Ali Rıza Efendi, worked as a small-time officer and trader, and his mother was Zübeyde Hanım. He had a sister named Makbule who lived to adulthood. The family spoke Turkish, practiced Islam, and belonged to the middle class.

Mustafa’s father died when he was seven. His mother first thought he should attend a religious school, but he went to a private school with more modern lessons. He later took a military exam without telling his family and entered the Salonica Military School in 1893, then continued studies at Monastir and the Ottoman Military Academy.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the leader who helped create the modern country called Turkey. He was born around 1881 and died on 10 November 1938. From 1923 until his death, he served as the first president of the new republic. Because he wanted a modern state, he made many changes: he separated religion from government, encouraged factories and schools, and asked people to use a new Turkish alphabet.

He also led soldiers in important battles during World War I and later led the struggle to make Turkey independent. People who follow his ideas call them Kemalism. Some people praise him as a founder; others later questioned how he used power. What would you change first if you were building a country?

Gallipoli is one of the places where Mustafa Kemal became famous. During World War I he helped lead soldiers who stopped a major landing, and people noticed his skill and courage. After the war, in 1919, leaders asked him to go to the Anatolia region and look after both military and civil affairs there.

He reached Samsun on 19 May 1919 and began organizing the Turkish National Movement to resist plans that would divide the country. His army fought important battles, such as Sakarya in 1921 and Dumlupınar in 1922. After these victories he was promoted to Mareşal and called Gazi, and his forces retook İzmir in 1922.

Mustafa Kemal guided plans to help Turkey’s economy grow. He supervised the country’s first five-year economic plans from 1929 to 1933. A plan is a set of steps that leaders choose to reach a goal, and these plans focused on building factories and industries so people would not need to buy so many goods from other countries.

The early reforms and work in the 1920s made it possible for later industrial projects to succeed in the 1930s. After Mustafa Kemal’s time, the government changed some plans, especially during and after the Second World War, but the first plans helped set a path for building new businesses and jobs.

In 1919 Mustafa Kemal spoke out when he thought the country’s future was in danger. He wrote the Amasya Circular to say that Turkey must stand up for its own independence. He left the old army in July and then helped gather leaders at the Sivas congress, where they agreed on the Misak-ı Millî (a plan for national rights). For a short time the old parliament was closed, so Mustafa Kemal set up a new assembly in a different city.

On 23 April 1920 he opened the Grand National Assembly (GNA) in Ankara and became its speaker. He organized a national army and led battles that pushed back forces trying to divide the land. By 1922 Turkish leaders ended the old sultan’s rule, and in 1923 the country was declared the Republic of Turkey. The Treaty of Lausanne in July 1923 helped other nations accept the new government.

Mustafa Kemal wanted Turkey to be a peaceful neighbor. He worked to mend ties with nearby countries after years of conflict. Leaders in Greece, such as Eleftherios Venizelos, began to seek friendship. In 1930 Greece gave up claims to land and signed agreements to normalize relations. Later, in 1933 and beyond, Turkey joined talks and pacts that aimed to keep the region calm and cooperative.

Turkey also received help during the independence period from other countries, including supplies from the Soviet Union in 1920. These friendships and treaties helped Turkey feel more secure and opened the way for trade and calmer relations with neighbors.

Mustafa Kemal worked to change many everyday things so people could live and learn in new ways. He celebrated 29 October as Republic Day, the day the new country began. Schools became free and required for children, and a new Turkish alphabet made reading and writing easier for many people. He supported modern universities and helped set up groups to study the language and history.

He believed women should take part in public life, so in 1934 they were given full political rights. At the same time he helped arts, music, theatre, and museums grow. People’s Houses opened around the country to teach sports, crafts, and music. These changes helped shape daily life and culture for many families.