Principles of Atatürk

One of the fundamental principles of Kemalism is republicanism. To know why, it is first necessary to understand what a republic is.

A republic is a form of government. The first essential element of a republic is that the head of state is elected for a certain period of time. In this respect, a republic differs from a monarchy, in which the head of state is a monarch. In monarchies, the head of state comes from a certain family and, under normal circumstances, remains in office until death. He is replaced by another from the same family. In every monarchy, certain rules determine who will be the ruler from within the family. In a republic, when the head of state is elected for a certain period of time, other prominent people must also be elected. These are usually the people who will make laws in that society.

A republic is not a complete republic until it is recognized that both the head of state and those who have the power to legislate must be elected. The problem will now center on elections. Who will participate in the elections? If a certain group of citizens are given the right to vote and be elected, perhaps a republic may be encountered in terms of its outward appearance. Such republics were seen in the ancient Greek city-states and in some medieval Italian and German regions (such as the Venetian and Genoese republics, the Hanseatic cities). In such ancient republics, only a certain group of citizens had the right to participate in elections. They ruled the whole society on the basis of the elected staff they elected. According to our understanding today, such republics are not fit for purpose regimes. They are called aristocratic or oligarchic republics.

In other words, for the republican form to be realized in accordance with its purpose, every citizen of a certain age of maturity must participate in elections. Republics in this sense began to emerge with the founding of the United States of America and spread only after the great French Revolution. In fact, famous thinkers had already conceived and defined the republic in their minds long before. However, the practice emerged towards the end of the XIXth century. With the granting of the right to vote and be elected to all citizens and its implementation, a real republic was established and began to function. However, it is only possible to maintain this form of government in a better and deep-rooted way if elections are held under the conditions of democracy. The definition of democracy was given above, and a true republic is realized through democratic life.

The people who make up a nation and who belong to various professions and social groups are called the people. From this trend, the principle of populism is a necessary consequence of both
republicanism and nationalism principles.

According to Atatürk, nation and people actually mean the same thing. Populism, on the other hand, is the pursuit of a policy in the interest and benefit of various groups of people within the nation and the accustoming of the people to self-government.

It has been said that populism is a natural consequence of republicanism, which is very true. A republic means that the people elect their own rulers from among themselves. Thus, the republican regime is a people's regime.
Likewise, popularism is also a consequence of nationalism. Since the nation is made up of the people, nationalism means working for the happiness of the Turkish people and being committed to a common past and future together with the people.

As soon as the Turkish Grand National Assembly was inaugurated, Atatürk made many speeches stating that the newly established state was a people's state. The people were no longer ruled by one person, but governed themselves.

The application of the principle of populism also means the acceptance of absolute equality before the law, with no one in society being superior to anyone else. In true populism, no social group or caste is privileged. The people are composed of people equal to each other in all respects.

As soon as the Turkish Grand National Assembly was opened, Atatürk made many speeches stating that the newly established state was a people's state. The people were no longer ruled by one person, but governed themselves.

The application of the principle of populism also means the acceptance of absolute equality before the law, with no one being superior to anyone else in society. In true populism, no social group or caste is privileged. The people are composed of people equal to each other in all respects.

Today, some regimes consider the people to consist only of a certain group of people. The name of these regimes, the people's republic, is misleading. Because it means the state of only a certain group of people. This is the truth. But it must be said immediately that the Ataturkist people's state does not remotely mean or indicate such a thing.

The Atatürkist people's state encompasses the entire Turkish people, that is, the Turkish nation. Such an understanding of popularism best prepares the environment necessary for the establishment of true democracy.

All scholars, both Turkish and foreign, recognize secularism as the most important element of Atatürk's revolution. Indeed, the Turkish Revolution is a whole with its principles. But the two main foundations on which this whole rests, nationalism and secularism, reinforce the other principles.

The short definition of secularism has been defined before. To summarize it again, secularism is the basing of the state order and the rules of law on reason and science, not on religion.

For a very long time, almost all human societies have been governed according to the principles laid down by religions. Because it was not easy for people to mature in the fields of reason and science and it took a long time. During this period, people were relieved to accept that they were ruled by certain forces outside their own reason and will. For this reason, religions and clergymen, who were identified with states, gradually became more powerful and tried to maintain their existence by putting obstacles in front of the developing human intelligence.

A revolution is a breakthrough in which a society changes its important institutions and renews itself in a short period of time. There have been important and great revolutions in history. The Turkish Nation under Atatürk has also realized one of the most important revolutions in history.

Revolutions are not made in a society out of the blue, there are great reasons for revolutions coming from history. Turks had once established one of the most important states of the age. This state remained one of the world's leading powers for hundreds of years. But because it could not keep up with the age of reason and science developing in the West, it began to fall behind and weaken. Since it was a multinational state, it could not establish a national unity. Those who wanted to save the state always made changes within the old order and certain patterns. However, it was necessary to change the structure and this was inevitable.

The defeat and disintegration at the end of the First World War gave Atatürk the idea of bringing the Turkish nation together to fight and renew the structure and the determination to realize it. Since it was not possible to rebuild the old structure, a succession of major reforms were undertaken.

According to Atatürk, “the reforms were made in the name of the people for the welfare of the nation”. “The aim of the revolutions we have made and are making is to make the people of the Republic of Turkey completely modern and civilized in all its meaning and form”. Therefore, reforms will be carried out in order to modernize and reach the level of contemporary civilization. Indeed, the great innovation movements you have seen have always been carried out with a revolutionary attitude and behavior.

The Turkish Nation must remain committed to and fully revolutionary in order to get closer to the good, the true and the beautiful and to reach them. So what is revolutionism? According to Atatürk, “true revolutionaries are those who know how to penetrate the true tendencies in the souls and consciences of the people they want to lead to the reforms of progress and innovation”.

In other words, the revolutionary will appeal to the souls and consciences and guide people in this direction. Sustaining Atatürk's revolution is only possible by always feeling the revolutionary spirit, structure and enthusiasm, setting goals and working towards achieving these goals.

One should always try to grasp the superior and sublime purpose of the Turkish Revolution. This is one of the fundamental principles of Atatürk, which is to move forward on the path of innovation without stopping. The Turkish Revolution must be protected, developed and advanced. Atatürk was sure of this and said: “Those who have grasped the goal of the Revolution will always be able to preserve it”.

Yes, in the light of these pithy words, conscious revolutionism must be the future of the Turkish Nation.