KAMAL ATATURK

Evening Star, Issue 22541, 8 January 1937, Page 12

KAMAL ATATURK

FATHER OF HIS PEOPLE HIS CAREER AS DICTATOR SPECTACULAR WORK Turkey’s one-man Government, the reformer-phenomenon of the Near and Middle East—President Mustapha Kamal Ataturk—startled the diplomatic world when he asked the League of Nations and the interested Powers for a conference to decide whether his country should not again be given the right to arm and fortify the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, which were demilitarised by the Treaty of Lausanne (says a writer in the ‘ New York Times ’). . . ' “ How delightfully original,” the statesmen of Europe must have thought—for they were still smarting under Hitler’s unilateral revision of the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. In their delight at the thought that at least one country seemed to take international covenants seriously t they informed President Ataturk. in words dripping with honey, that there were no obstacles in the way of such a conference. “ Unofficial observers,” echoing the thoughts of their masters, intimated that in view of the exemplary behaviour of the Turkish dictator and strong man, the straits of the Near East would soon be re-armed. ' Most interesting among these despatches was the one sent from the Byzantine buildings of the Kremlin. The Soviet assured President Ataturk that it was wholeheartedly behind the plan. Few people appreciated the overwhelming significance of this move. They did not realise that it meant an end to an old feud which in the last two centuries has involved the East and West in periodical massacres. Instead of being hereditary enemies, Russia and Turkey are now the best of friends, brought closer bv treaties of non-aggression and friendship and numerous trade pacts. This change has been brought about partly by the new policy of Russia and partly ■by the revolutionary innovations of President Ataturk. LOOKS HIS PART. Who is this man who has thus wrought such havoc with a murderous heritage and is so sure of his success that he can afford to be conciliatory? He is probably _ the only dictator to-day who looks his part. People who see him for the first time in public are struck by his appearance. He looks like a real Mephistopheles, gazing darkly into the secrets of time. His impenetrable dark eyes are set deep, hidden by baffling shadows. His fleshy nose curls, towards' the narrow lips, which are traditionally symbolic of determination. Mustapha Kamal Ataturk likes to be elegantly dressed, and usually wears an expensive jewel in his tie. . Although he is well over 50, his movements are lithe. Contrary to Oriental custom, he seldom uses his hands when speaking, except when he forgets himself. His voice is a strong basso, which turns into a metallic bantono when he wimts to bo particularly friendly—which is seldom. His scowling mask may, however, fall with bewildering rapidity, and then his unfathomable eyes light up with a mischievous 'sparkle—the smile of a young boy. His eyes receive assistance from laughing lips and you have before you a man of the world who is just dying to have a ■ good time and is an expert in getting it. He is nqt only President and dictator ; he is the creator of modern Turkey. More than any of the other dictators, he bears the responsibility for what his country is to-day. He not only led a great movement, but accomplished the unusual feat of transforming one of the most backward countries of the Near _ East into a stan-dard-bearer of civilisation. More than a gregt national leader, he is the most potent force in the entire Islamic world.

INSPIRATION OF EAST. If the East is astir with new beginnings, making every effort to bid farewell to its old self and get rid of the filth and picturesque beggary of the past, Mustapha Kama! Ataturk is its inspiration. \ Kamal and Ataturk are later additions to his name, which in his childhood was Mustapha. No memorial slab marks the place where he was born in Salonika, then in Turkey and now part of Greece. The old Greek neighbour of Mustapha’s parents, whom I met last summer, described their home as a simple frame house, coated with lime.. It was not far from the Seven Towers, the famous Heptapyrgion, a landmark for centuries. The house burned during the conflagration that devastated the city in the World War. The old neighbour remembered Musianha as a naughty boy who shared command over a gang of children with a famous, child character of that section: Omar the One-eyed, son of Yusuf the Tailor. Mustapha seems to have been the strategist of the gang. Mustapha’s father was a subordinate Customs official, and later went into the timber trade. He died early, and his widow was left sufficient means' to educate their child. According to the neighbour, Mustapha’s mother was a religious woman, anxious to have her son become a hodja—a religious teacher; but the son showed more interest in'the art of war. He did not like his Arabic teacher’s strict following of the Prophet’s advice not to spare the rod, so he turned his back on school. He spent a few days in a sort of truants’ reform institution—his first taste of life behind the bars. DISTINCTIVE SURNAME. Reconciled to the inevitable, he went back to school, and liked his new teacher, who soon discovered the unusual abilities of the boy. In a, few months h© was hailed as a child prodigy, and obtained hig first distinctive surname from his teacher, who called him “ Kemal ” —perfection. Mustapha Kemal was in his early, twenties when young Turkey began to stir, incensed by the despotism of Sultan AbuT-Hamid and seeking contact with the progressive spirit of the West. Mustapha Kemal joined the Union and Progress Society, better known as Young Turks. He also entered the Military Academy at Monastir, and became a captain in the Turkish army. But his activities with the Young Turks aroused the suspicion of the Sultan’s police, and he began Ms career of hide and seek with gaol. He was charged with being one of the guiding spirits of the Vatan, a secret society. No direct evidence could be found against him, yet Mustapha was banished to Syria, where he found an excellent field of operations for his anti-Sultan propaganda. Once more the secret agents got on his trail, and he decided to extend his field of activity to Palestine. Jaffa saw him haranguing widemouthed Arabs, and from there he went

to Cairo. Egypt was also becoming too hot for him; he took a boat at Alexandria and embarked for his native Salonika. Meanwhile, the police were looking for him everywhere except in his birthplace. NOT IMPRESSED. The Government of Turkey at that time was inefficient—and while one official issue a warrant for his arrest another promoted him to a higher position. Thus he found himself, an army major in good standing, accused of fomenting revolution; and anarchy. Finally the general dissatisfaction resulted in the events of 1908, when Young Turkey took the reins. But Mustapha Kemal was not the man to be impressed by sham reforms, and now he led a one-man _ revolt against his former friends-in-arms. Once again he was in danger of spending his nights in prison, and was saved only by official incompetence. Instead of being gaoled he was appointed military attache to France, in the retinue of Ambassador Ali Riza. Life in Paris was pleasant, but fame beckoned to the young man from across the Mediterranean. He could obtain no leave of absence from his post—so he simply left it, and enrolled as _ a private’ in the Turkish army, fighting the Italians in Tripoli. A little later adventure and glory called from the Balkans, where Kemal’s country was engaged in war. ■ Meanwhile the World War was getting ready to out-thunder these, secondary mass-massacres. A year later Mustapha Kemal was in command of Turkish forces at the Dardanelles, just when the British were preparing for their attempt to force their way through the straits. To his soldiers Mustapha Kemal appeared to bo the very devil, unafraid of death, exposing himself to danger. One day he received a wound that would hav been mortal if a watch had not deflected the bullet. LEFT AS THE VICTOR, For the first and last .time in the World War the British had to admit defeat; they broke camp by stealth,, leaving young Mustapha Kemal the victor in one of the most spectacular battles of the war. The Dardanelles were saved; but Turkey- was not. She, was drawn into the abyss by the. defeat of her allies and by the victories of the British on her own southern and eastern fronts. The peace which the Allies dictated at Paris was not 9 peace, but a national disaster. Constantinople, - Smyrna,. and Eastern Thrace were to be taken from Turkey, thus elbowing her out of Europe. The Sultan was .the prisoner of the Allies, and Turkey was too fatalistic to object. It seemed indeed as if the “ Sick Man of Europe,” as Turkey had been called, had died. Over the belongings of the dead man the former Allies were conducting a spoils contest. What had happened to Mustapha Kemal Pasha? He had been shunted into an out-of-the-way region as inspector of the Ninth Army Corps in northwestern Anatolia.. That bleak country was to be his burial place. Instead of that, it became the birthplace of his world-wide fame, and from there he aroused the sleepy-eyed Turks, making them the heroes of one of the most remarkable national awakenings. He took their lead and marched against Smyrna. The Greeks were crowded into the sea, and the army of Mustapha Kemal surged onward, invincible, a world wonder—and the great Powers promptly declared that they were willing to negotiate. Constantinople, Smyrna, and Eastern Thrace were turned back to the Turks, the Sultan was deposed, and Mustapha Kemal took the helm. A country, delirious with joy, hailed him as the “Gazi”—victor. This was the second surname his grateful countrymen conferred upon him. FATTIER OF HIS COUNTRY. The real work was now to begin. The Gazi set to work. Everything that reminded of the discredited past was to be discarded. With ruthless energy the entire field of national life was raked over. Constantinople had to cede its place as capital to Ankara, a small Anatolian town, which was purely Turkish and not at the mercy of foreign warships. New life began to stir on the Anatolian plains and mountains. A country in which 85 per cent, of the population was illiterate had to be made into a civilised nation. Youth was given its rights to study and live a worthier life. The grip of Islam on the nation was to be loosened with the separation of Church and State. The primitive law of the Koran gave place to a Turkish adaptation of the Swiss civil code. Polygamy was outlawed, and women received nearly equal rights with men. Women -were made to take off their veils; men were forbidden to wear the fez and the turban. Turkey, the scourge of the world only a century ago, took the lead in pacifying the Balkans. For the first time in history, Turkey was not feared or scorned, but respected. When Mustapha Kemal Pasha made his countrymen assume surnames instead of “ first ” names, he was asked by the National Assembly to assume the name of “ Ataturk ” —the father of his country. This was the third name that had been conferred upon him. He also changed his name to Kamal, as nearer the correct form of the name. Whither is President Ataturk taking his nation? The answer may be found by looking at Ankara, a few years ago a deserted country place, which now is being made into one of the most up-to-date capitals. Its broad streets would do honour to Paris. The main arteries are hemmed in by impressive public buildings. The President has worked out a plan for industrialising his nation. In a few years he expects it to have numerous thriving industries. Agricultural methods are being improved at a rapid rate. The average Turk has been roused out of his pre-war lethargy: today he realises that be has something to fight for. President Ataturk is hailed as a man who has deserved well of his fatherland.