Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
The founder of the Republic of Turkey
"Peace at Home, Peace in the World"
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
The Timeline
- 1881 - Born at Salonica
- 1893 - Enters Military Secondary School at Salonica
- 1895 - Enters Military Training School at Monastir
- 1889 - Enters infantry class of War College in Istanbul
- 1902 - Graduates as Lieutenant and enters General Staff College in Istanbul
- 1905 - Graduates from the General Staff College with the rank of Staff Captain and is posted to the Fifth Army, based in Damascus
- 1906 - Helps to found Motherland Society in Damascus
- 1907 - Promoted Adjuant-Major and posted to Third Army at Salonica
- 1911 - Volunteers for service against the Italians in Cyrenaica
- 1911 - Promoted to Major
- 1912 - Leaves Cyrenaica and returns to Istanbul. Coup d'etat against Government by Union and Progress officers
- 1912 - Appointed Director of Operations for relief of Adrianople
- 1913 - Appointed Military Attaché in Sofia
- 1914 - Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel
- 1915 - Leaves Sofia to take up appointment as commander of 19th division for service in Battle of Gallipoli
- 1916 - Promoted General and Pasha
- 1916 - Recaptures Bitlis and Muş from Russians
- 1918 - Takes over command of Army Group at Adana
- 1919 - Appointed Inspector-General of Ninth (later Third) Army in Anatolia
- 1919 - 19 May lands in Samsun
- 1919 - Resigns from the post of Inspector of Third Army and from the army
- 1919 - Elected Chairman of Erzurum Congress
- 1920 - Opens the Grand National Assembly in Ankara
- 1920 - Condemned to death by the government in Istanbul
- 1921 - Appointed Commander-in-Chief by the Grand National Assembly
- 1921 - The battle of Sakarya begins with Turkish troops led by Mustafa Kemal
- 1921 - Given the title of “Gazi” and rank of Marshal by Grand National Assembly
- 1922 - Begins to lead Great Offensive from the hill of Kocatepe and wins decisive victory on 30th August
- 1922 - Proclaims abolition of Sultanate
- 1923 - The Republic of Turkey is proclaimed and Gazi Mustafa Kemal is elected first president
- 1924 - Wears a hat for first time at Sarayburnu in Istanbul
- 1928 - Speaks about the new Turkish alphabet
- 1931 - Founds Turkish Historical Society
- 1932 - Founds Turkish Linguistic Society
- 1934 - Adopts the surname “Atatürk” which is given to him by the The Grand National Assembly of Turkey
- 1938 - The death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and founder of modern-day Turkey
"To see me does not necessarily mean to see my face. To understand my thoughts is to have seen me."
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk