Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a Turkish soldier, statesman, and reformer who is widely regarded as the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. He rose to prominence as a military commander in the Ottoman army during World War I, where he successfully defended the Gallipoli peninsula against the Allied invasion. After the war, he led the Turkish War of Independence against the occupying forces of the victorious powers. He established a provisional government in Ankara and repelled the Greek forces that aimed to annex western Anatolia. He abolished the Ottoman monarchy and proclaimed the Republic of Turkey in 1923, becoming its first president. He embarked on a series of radical reforms that transformed Turkey into a secular and westernized nation-state, with a new alphabet, civil code, education system, and women's rights. He also promoted Turkish nationalism and cultural identity, while suppressing Kurdish and other ethnic minorities. He is revered by many Turks as the "Father of the Turks" and the "Great Leader", and his mausoleum in Ankara is a national symbol. He is also widely respected internationally as a visionary leader and a military genius. He died of liver cirrhosis in 1938, leaving behind a lasting legacy of modernization and secularism.