History of Turkish revolution : the reforms

Résumé du document

Since its creation in 1923, The Republic of Turkey has been lead by the idea of modernization. Both the social and the political order was radically changed by the revolution that established the new regime due to Kemal Atatürk's role during and after the war of liberation. The Ottoman Empire, 'the sick man of Europe' had collapsed. By secret wartime agreements, Allies agreed to distribute among themselves parts of the former empire, helped by the collaboration of the docile government of the still-in-charge Sultan, and later completed by the signature of the treaty of Sèvres in 1920. The landing of Greek troops in Izmir in may 1919, the ultimate menace of the Byzantine, 'Great Idea' was the final humiliation that ignited the war of liberation and the rise of a new Republic. On July 24, 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, victorious Turkey had rebuilt its territory and was making its sovereignty inl the territory, known to the whole international community. The new Republic had to settle its own form and structure of state in order to not doing errors.

Extraits

[...] II-Purposes of the reforms II-A Westernization Changing for secular law was part of the process against the influence of the religious authority in the public sphere, and of asserting legitimacy of the expression of the nation representatives that used to lead the deep Revolution. For a lot of educated peoples Civilization meant European civilization, Civilization meant the West and Turkey had to became a part of it in order to survive, in order to defend its interest at an international level, like it did for the Treaty of Lausanne on July and to talk equal to equal with other 20th century powers. [...]

[...] This wish of dialogue and collaboration with the West is best illustrated with the adoption of Roman script, key of exchanges between peoples. Kemal Atatürk noticed in July 1920 that “General tendency of the nation is populism and people's government”, it was clear for him that Turkey, for its survey and its new rise, had to adapt the world's changes that Sultanate prevented and to look at the progress way. Modernization of the state had to be done to send a strong message to Western countries, to tell the civilized world that Turkey was now a member of the that had became trustworthy in both state-organization fields (respect of treaties, mutual knowledge of state-mechanisms, prevention from dictatorship) and individuals' life regulation (ability for strangers to invest and work in Turkey benefiting a juridic security) A lot of symbolic revolutions also occurred, especially in outfits fields, because one's appearance is mostly determined by what he is and what he believes in; these westernization symbolic revolutions correspond to a reject of overweight past that prevented the former Empire to evolve and survive. [...]

[...] It is this reaction to the former organization that brought deep reforms, inside the everyday social life through laws, and in the foundation of the power itself. These reforms will be seen first concerning the transformation from theocracy to secular state-order then from the transformation from religious law to secular law The purpose of these reforms will be the studied through their two main objectives, to join the western countries civilization and to ensure the stability of the state against religious influence I-Reforms I-A Reforms of the State Despite the loyalty of the nationalists to the former sovereign, it quickly appeared to them that many of their political views for the future of the Turkey were incompatible with the old state-order. [...]

[...] On April the GNA adopted the new Republican Constitution, confirming the legislative authority of the Assembly and reserving the judicial function to independent courts acting in the name of the nation. Because of troubles in the eastern part of Turkey, the for the maintenance of order” was voted on March It gave dictatorial powers to the Government for two years to control the Kurdish revolt, but had been prolonged until 1929 and allowed the Government to deal with other troubling issues it had to face to fulfill the work of building the great Turkey. [...]

[...] Finally, on April thanks to a constitutional amendment, Republic of Turkey became a lay state with a totally secular constitution, without any reference to Islam. I-B Legal reforms 19th century reforms removed many matters from the domain of the Seriat and its jurisdiction, withdrawing some power of the Faith-men over the Turkish society, but the emergence of the Kemalist Republic went way further. In 1924, Mustafa Kemal abolishes the separate Seriat Courts, even if secular courts remained mostly administrated by the Seriat in fields of family and personal life. [...]