I.

Introduction

Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938), Turkish soldier, nationalist leader, and statesman, who founded the republic of Turkey and was its first president (1923-1938). The name Atatürk (Father Turk) was bestowed upon him in 1934 by the Grand National Assembly as a tribute for his unique service to the Turkish nation. Atatürk was born on March 12, 1881, in Salonica (Thessaloníki) in Greece, the son of a minor official who became a timber merchant. When Atatürk was 12 years old, he went to military schools in Salonica and Monastir, centres of anti-Turkish Greek and Slavic nationalism. In 1899 he attended the military academy in İstanbul, graduating as staff captain in January 1905.