Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born in the year 1881, in Salonica, then an Ottoman city, now Greece. He was president of Turkey for 15 years and was the first to turn Turkey into a secular country, Secular means to reject religion and religious considerations. Turkey was a Muslim country. Before WWI Turkey was part of the Ottman empire, it then broke up after WWI and Turkey became an independent country. Mustafa had 6 principals that he wanted to base Turkey on which were Republicanism, Populism, Secularism, Reformism, Nationalism, and Statism to help him modernize Turkey. He wanted the turkish to dress like the Europeans and Americans instead of the religious clothing for example, he baned the Fez, which is the hat Muslim men wore and strongly requested the men to wear brimmed hats like the Westerners. Mustafa also insisted that the Turkish men also wear pants, and a tie instead of the traditional muslism clothing. He also got rid of the islamic law and brought a more secular law for Turkey, women got the right to vote. Mustafa was a great hero of Turkey he made Turkey a modern/secular nation.