🇹🇷 Atatürk’s Principles

Atatürk’s principles are six basic ideas that show how the Republic is governed and what the reforms are built on. Each principle shows itself in the reforms.

Republicanism: the country is run by people chosen in elections, and sovereignty belongs to the nation. The Republic was declared on 29 October 1923.

Nationalism: protecting national unity and full independence, and studying and strengthening our own history and culture. The Turkish Historical Society and the Turkish Language Association are examples.

Populism: everyone is equal and no one gets special privileges. In the Nation Schools, millions of adults past school age learned to read and write the new letters.

Statism: where private business is not enough, the state invests too. With Sümerbank and the industrial plan, the state built factories for textiles, paper, glass and more.

Secularism: freedom of religion and conscience is guaranteed, and state affairs are run by reason, science and modern law. The Civil Code separated family law from religious rules.

Reformism: renewing ourselves as the times demand and protecting the reforms already made. The Alphabet Reform and the Surname Law were made in this spirit.

Every reform reflects a principle. Declaring the Republic goes with Republicanism, the Turkish Language Association with Nationalism, the Nation Schools with Populism, and Sümerbank with Statism.

Summary: Republicanism is elections and national sovereignty, Nationalism is national unity and culture, Populism is equality, Statism is state investment, Secularism is a state run by reason and science, Reformism is renewing and protecting. Now try it in İnkılap Kartları!